Golden Days
by Klavierliebe
Summary: Bella Swan doesn't think she's ready for kindergarten just yet -- especially when she meets those zany kids she'll soon call her best friends. Ed/B, J/A, Em/R, C/Es


I do not own Twilight.

I wrote this a very, very long time ago, and just now got around to posting it. Hope you like it!

**.Golden Days.**

"Bella!" My dad's voice cut through my sleep, rousing me quickly. I stumbled out of bed, rubbing my chocolate brown eyes. "What?"

"It's time for school!" his voice drifted up the stairs, and I sighed.

"Oh, no. Not school!" I whimpered, running down the stairs. Unfortunately but predictably, I tripped on the last step and fell on my face. Charlie helped me up.

"Sorry, Bells, but you've got to go to school sometime." he apologized, already in his police uniform. I pouted, crossing my arms, but stomped back upstairs to get ready. I knew no amount of arguing would get me out of my first day of kindergarten.

I wore a cute yellow shirt with a long white skirt. Sighing, I stomped back downstairs after brushing out my long brown hair. Charlie grinned at me when I appeared. He grabbed me into a large hug. "My Bella's going to kindergarten!" he chanted happily, unusual for Charlie.

My breath flew out of me and I had to struggle out of Charlie's grasp. "Okay, dad! Is the bus here yet?"

He didn't need to respond as I heard a bus horn blow. A very small smile lit my face. This might just be fun. Grabbing my purple backpack, I hugged my dad goodbye and ran outside. A large yellow bus was waiting for me. The doors opened slowly, and I rushed inside.

Of course I tripped on the steps and fell, catching myself before I got a concussion. Blushing furiously, I walked down the aisle, wondering where I should sit. Before I could hesitate, I saw a girl in the back grinning and waving me toward her.

So I skipped over, my brown hair bouncing. "Hi I'm Alice! Are you in kindergarten or first grade? Our school has a separate place for kinders and first, away from the other kids. I heard my mom saying she liked it better that way, but I think it isn't fair. What do you think?"

Alice spoke so fast I hardly understood the words coming from her mouth. I blinked, and took the seat next to her. "I'm Bella." I held out my hand, and she shook it, still grinning. Her black hair was in a cute short cut, flying everywhere. Alice's eyes were a dark brown, almost black color.

"Umm, I'm in kindergarten. It's my first day." I explained to her. Alice beamed. "Well then I'll introduce you to the rest of our class when we get there!" she chirped, and I smiled. Alice seemed nice, and it was nice to be able to talk to someone so easily.

"I'm in kindergarten too, and our teacher will be Miss Jaime! I heard she was really nice!" Alice told me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "I hope what you heard is true. I don't want a mean teacher."

Then we arrived at our destination: Forks Elementary.

I almost tripped on my way off the bus, but Alice caught me in time. "That's the second time I've seen you trip," she frowned, and I looked at the ground, blushing. "I'm a klutz."

Alice laughed. "Uh oh. I can just see Emmett's face."

I didn't ask, for we were entering the classroom now and I couldn't speak.

The classroom was painted a light green, and had framed finger paintings all over the walls. A large carpet occupied the center of the room, with squares all over it. Each square had a different color on it, or at least a different shade of color.

A young lady was sitting in front of the carpet, a grin on her face. "Hello, everyone! I'm Miss Jaime, your teacher. Now, find the square with your favorite color on it. That's your seat!" Miss Jaime said, still smiling.

I quickly found the yellow square, my favorite color. Alice sat next to me, on a pretty purple square. On the other side, a blonde girl was sitting neatly on a red square. I introduced myself to the blonde. "Hi, I'm Bella."

The blonde turned to look me over. "Rosalie." she said, her commanding voice matching her pretty face and long blonde hair. I stuck out my hand, and she shook it after a slight hesitation.

"Oh, you've met Rose!" Alice noticed suddenly, clapping. Rose waved to her, and I opened my mouth, about to ask how they knew each other. Alice beat me to it. "Rose's family and my family have been friends forever."

Before I could respond, Miss Jaime started talking once more. "Alright class, we're going to introduce ourselves to each other and to me. We'll start on the right." She glanced over at Rosalie, who was the farthest to the right. "Tell us your first and last name, then if you have any siblings."

Miss Jaime nodded at Rosalie to begin, and she flipped her hair behind her ear. "I'm Rosalie Hale and have a twin brother." she said sweetly, smiling. Her blue eyes sparkled.

I was next. Taking a deep breath, I glanced at Miss Jaime. My heart pounded loudly as my fear of public speaking took over. "My name's Isabella Swan, and I'm an only child." Phew. That wasn't so hard, right?

Alice beamed. "My name is Alice Cullen. I have two brothers, Emmett and Edward!" She trilled, bouncing in her seat. I smiled. Alice sure did have a lot of energy…

Next was a muscled boy sitting on a blue square. He had short, curly black hair and a confident smile. "I'm Emmett Cullen and this dork is my sister. Edward over there's my weird brother."

Miss Jaime frowned slightly at that one, but let it pass.

"I'm Jasper. Jasper Hale; Rosalie's twin brother." I could hardly see Jasper's dark green eyes; his curly blonde hair fell in his face. The square he rested upon matched his eyes perfectly. He didn't remind me of Rosalie, as I expected.

"Angela Weber. I have a little brother." A nice looking girl with fair, light brown hair and glasses spoke next. Her square was a pretty violet, a nice mixture of pink and purple. I could tell she was one of those perpetually nice people, ones that are quite hard to find.

"Jessica Stanley! I'm an only child and happy to be one!" A girl with red-brown hair looked meaningfully at the Cullens as she spoke. I suppressed a grimace and knew this girl wouldn't be my favorite classmate. First impressions are subject to change, though…

A brunette boy with blue eyes was staring at the ceiling and didn't seem to realize it was his turn until Miss Jaime cleared her throat. "Your turn," she encouraged.

"Michael Welch. Call me Mike. I'm an only child." he sputtered quickly, embarrassed at being caught not paying attention.

"My name's Jacob Black, but you can call me Jake. I have two older sisters." A slightly younger looking boy spoke next, his short black hair gleaming from the light. He looked laid back, and I liked him immediately.

"I'm Edward Cullen. My sister is Alice, and my brother is Emmett." A musical voice made my eyes widen. I sought out the speaker, and found a boy with a pale face and perfectly messed up bronze hair. His eyes were a stunning green, a shade lighter than I'd thought possible.

"Alright, well that's everyone." Miss Jaime said, surveying the ten of us. "A very small class," she mused before standing. Before she could go on, a bell rang. "Recess time, everyone! You may go play on the playground until I call you."

A spark of fear lit itself in me. I would probably fall or trip sometime out there, and I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of my new classmates. But I trudged outside with everyone else anyway, twisting my fingers together with anxiety.

A voice surprised me out of my worry. "What's wrong?" I looked up and recognized Jasper. He was a lot taller than I realized. "Oh, I was just kind of paranoid about falling. I'm sort of a klutz…"

"Better not let Emmett hear that," he smiled and trotted off with that word of advice, and I felt immediately better. My worry was all but gone, and I happily skipped over to Alice to ask her about Emmett "Hey Alice, why doesn't Emmett want to know I'm a klutz?"

Alice snorted. "Emmett is a prankster, that's why. If he found out you're a klutz, he'd have two pranks set up before you could say 'Bella.'" I shuddered, imagining the horrible humiliation I would suffer.

Mental note: Do not tell Emmett that I'm a klutz.

Alice suddenly grabbed my hand. "Let's go talk to Edward! I can tell you'll be great friends!" her face was suddenly bright with excitement, and she dragged me across the playground to the bronze-haired boy I'd seen earlier.

He was on the swings, swinging very slowly. His feet dragged in the sand, and Alice frowned at his now sandy shoes. I recognized the shoes, I'd seen them while school shopping for myself. They'd been one of the most expense ones there! Edward looked up when he saw us coming. "Hi Alice, Isabella." Edward nodded to us.

I corrected him immediately, not really thinking. "Bella." I held out my hand, and he shook it. "Edward." He looked up at me, green eyes big. Alice grinned and sidled away. "Rose wants to talk to me. See you guys later!" She was gone before I could respond, bounding over to Rosalie.

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked, pointing to the swing next to him. He shrugged. "Sure." I took a seat, pleased I hadn't tripped yet.

I noticed Emmett and Jasper playing basketball. "Why aren't you playing basketball with your brother?" I asked curiously.

Edward looked up at them, as if just noticing they were there. "I don't know." he mumbled. I looked back at them curiously. Emmett was charging Jasper, trying to steal the ball, but Jasper was a tad faster. I didn't see anything wrong with them.

Edward spoke up. "Hey, aren't you the police chief's daughter?" I grinned and nodded. "Yep! And aren't you the doctor's son?"

He nodded, bronze hair gleaming in the sun. "Well, it's nice to meet you," he said, cheeks turning a shade pinker. I smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Edward!" I wonder why he blushed when he was saying hi?

Then the bell rang. BRRRRRIINNNGGG!!! Miss Jaime appeared in the doorway and beckoned us all inside.

I stood up, but of course tripped over my skirt. I was about to graze my arms again on the sand when someone caught me. I looked up, cheeks flaming, to see Edward. He was frowning, and my cheeks felt hotter. "Thanks," I said, embarrassed out of my mind.

"Your welcome. Do you fall like that a lot?" he asked quietly, walking beside me to our class. I nodded shamefully. He must have seen me on the bus. He smiled, green eyes amused.

I sat down on my yellow square, and he trotted off to his silver one.

"Okay class! Now we're going to work on some math!" Miss Jaime quickly passed out papers and directed us to our separate desks. Mine was still yellow, like my square. It _was_ my favorite color.

I looked around at my table. Alice was sitting across from me, already scribbling on her paper. Next to her was Jasper, then Emmett. Across from Emmett was Jacob, then Edward, then me.

Looking down at my paper, I realized these were very easy. My mother had taught them to me, and I quickly answered.

Glancing up, I realized the russet-skinned boy, Jacob, was having a few problems with it. His pencil tapped the desk idly as he stared at his paper, lost in thought. I was about to offer to help him, when Miss Jaime collected our papers. _That was quick _I thought, frowning.

My chocolate brown eyes slid subconsciously over to Edward. To my surprise, I met his green eyes looking at me. He immediately looked away and I blushed, turning my attention to Miss Jaime and telling myself to concentrate.

"Now, -"

Miss Jaime was cut off as the bell rang once more, BRRRRRIINNNGGG!!! This time, however, the sound was different. It pierced the air, screeching wildly. Alice gasped. "What's happening?" I asked her as Miss Jaime ran to get the megaphone. We couldn't hear her normal voice.

"That's the fire alarm!" Alice shrank back into her seat, eyes wide with fear. I quickly saw she was terrified of fire, and this unnerved me. Miss Jaime turned on the megaphone then, and still had to shout for us to hear her.

"Alright, children! Please line up outside and follow me." she paused, looking at Emmett. "Now, don't use this as an excuse to goof off."

Alice rose from her seat slowly, seemingly on shaky knees. I heard Rosalie sigh, and turned toward her curiously. "I forgot pixie's afraid of fire." she rolled her eyes, and I looked back at Alice. To my slight surprise, Jasper was helping her across the room to the line.

I ended up standing next to Edward and Alice, though I don't know how it happened. I was squashed up next to Rose until the last minute…

We walked calmly out the primary gate and onto the huge field where the older kids played. Miss Jaime led us in a straight line across the blacktop, and stopped us where the grass started. "Okay, everyone, you may take a seat." she had forgotten the megaphone, luckily, we heard her.

Sitting cross-legged, Edward spoke. "Do you think it was a drill?" his eyebrows were pulled together. For some reason, my stomach curled and twisted. I took a breath to smooth it out, but that hardly helped.

I remembered my father telling me what a drill was. "I hope so," I answered, glancing up at the gray sky.

Alice nodded from my other side. "Drills are horrible." she said, her knees curled up to her chest. I patted her on the back gently, and she threw me a weak smile. As I turned back to Edward, I didn't miss her holding Jasper's hand.

Mental Note: Ask Alice about that later.

"How long do drills usually take?" I asked Edward a few minutes later. Miss Jaime was whispering to another teacher, and nothing had been done except turning the alarms off, to Alice's relief. Edward surveyed the blacktop. "I don't know," he admitted. "This is my first fire drill."

I watched my breath billow in front of me, suddenly feeling cold. "Mine too." I admitted, pulling my jacket sleeves over my hands and cramming them into my pocket.

"Hey Bella!" A voice made me turn my head. From farther down the line, the blonde-ish brunette I recognized as Mike was waving fiercely. "How's it going?"

I smiled and waved back. "Hi Mike. Um, fine…" A little puzzled, I sat back with a small smile. At least I was making friends. I heard Mike laugh suddenly, but I didn't look.

Then I saw Edward's face.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately, my hand stretching out instinctively. He had a slightly jealous, sad face on. It made my heart do little spins, but I ignored the incomprehensible feeling.

He snapped out of it, looking surprised. "Oh, sorry. It was nothing." He looked down at his feet. I noticed his shoes again, and wondered how he could have afforded those…

"What's it like being an only child?" he suddenly asked, his green eyes on me. It took a moment for me to respond, as his green gaze fiddled with my heart some more. _What the heck is this? _I thought. Was I going to die of a heart attack or something?

"Quiet." I summed it up easily, and he laughed lightly.

"I can't imagine a house without my two loud-mouth siblings." he smiled, and my stomach flipped again. Alice leaned behind me to stick her tongue out at Edward. "I heard that!"

He just laughed again, and I smiled. "Sometimes I wish I had siblings." I admitted, then blushed. I hadn't told anyone that before. He noticed my blush, and smiled. I thought I was going to have heart attack and die…what were the symptoms, anyway? Irregular breathing?

"You wouldn't say that if you knew Emmett." he said seriously, but the smile told me otherwise.

"Alright class, we can go inside now. It was just a drill." Miss Jaime led us back into the classroom, Alice mumbling under her breath, probably about 'horrible drills'. I took my seat across from her. Just as Miss Jaime was about to pass out our 'learn to read' books, the bell rang.

"Lunchtime!" cheered Emmett. He was out the door before I could speak. Poor Miss Jaime. It seemed every time she tried to teach us something, a bell would ring. I wondered if school was always this hectic. I fished my lunch out of my backpack and walked outside with Alice. She had completely gotten over her drill experience, and I remembered my mental note.

We chose to eat under a large maple tree that Rose was already sitting under. "Hello Bella, hello Alice." she acknowledged us. I sat down next to Alice and nodded to her politely. I unpacked my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, looking at it with disdain. Deciding I wasn't hungry, I plopped it back into the bag.

"Hey, Alice, I saw you holding Jasper's hand during the drill." I stated, and she blushed. "W-well, we've been friends forever." she stammered out, and Rosalie laughed. "Ooh, Alice! I can just see your mom's face!"

Alice blushed harder and her head fell onto her hands. "I know, if I tell her, she'll be thrilled!" Sighing, she leaned back against the tree. I was curious, "Why is that a bad thing?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "My mom just thinks the five of us are all 'so cute', I know she'll be so happy to hear I like Jasper…" Rosalie laughed, a pretty bell sound. "Poor Edward, he's left out!"

Alice grinned, and I saw her evil side flash forth. "Rose, you just made a mistake!" she said in sing-song voice. Rosalie gasped, realizing her fault. "I-I mean.." I watched her struggle with trying to find an excuse of why she thought Edward was left out. "That does not mean I like Emmett." Rosalie insisted, taking a furious bite of her sandwich.

Alice merely laughed and said, "My mom's not the only one thrilled with that. The doctor's son, yours should be happy!" Rosalie rolled her eyes, and I smiled.

"I don't think Edward's left out," I said quietly, but I know they heard me.

_Yeah, I'm pretty sure school will always be hectic_

To my horror, it was about to get a lot worse. An obnoxious giggle sounded from behind the tree, and all three of us froze. My chocolate brown eyes slid to the tree. A girl's head popped out from behind the tree, a malicious smile on her young face. Her brown-red hair was tied back into a ponytail, and I grimaced.

"Jessica…?" Alice's voice piped up. I could tell she was hiding her fear, her dread…

"I heard every word." the girl promised and walked over to stand in front of us. "Don't worry, I'll get your message through. Those boys won't be in the dark anymore!" she smiled angelically and skipped off toward where Emmett, Edward, and Jasper sat.

Rosalie and Alice wore an identical mask of discomfort. "Quick, behind the tree!" Alice yelped, and flung herself behind the maple tree. I trotted over to sit beside her, and Rosalie squeezed on her other side.

"This is beyond ridiculous. Who does Jessica think she is?" Rosalie huffed. I shook my head to her rhetorical question. Curiosity itched me, and I had a strange desire to peek around the tree and see what Jessica was doing.

It won me over quickly, and I slid my face just past the tree. Jessica was rambling on about something and pointing…straight at me! I caught a glimpse of Edward, Emmett and Jasper looking over at the tree before I ducked behind it once more.

"They're looking over here." I informed my friends.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever. Let's just act like nothing ever happened." Getting no response, she smiled. "Alice, I triple-dog dare you to go ask them if they want to play hide-and-seek."

Alice glared at her, and I couldn't resist laughing. Rose's face was so malicious, and Alice's so ticked, it was funny. "I will," her chin jutted out defiantly.

Alice stood up, her tiny hands balled into fists, and march-stomped her way over to the monkey bars, where they were sitting. Rose and I were both laughing now, as we followed her. Jessica was hovering nearby, a waxy smile plastered on her face.

"Rosalie was wondering if you guys wanted to play hide-and-seek, and Bella's already volunteered to be it." Alice's sweet voice reached us. I was unable to resist a smile. Alice had clever ways to throw the prank back in our faces, but I didn't mind.

Emmett leapt up. "Bring it on!" he challenged, a determined light in his eyes. Edward and Jasper nodded, smiles sweeping their faces.

"Okay Bella, count to fifty!" Alice ordered me, and I closed my eyes willingly. "One, two, three…" I heard footsteps retreating, but couldn't pinpoint from where.

"…forty eight, forty nine, fifty." I hope nobody had noticed how I struggled through my numbers…my mom had only taught me up to thirty!

"Ready or not, here I come." I opened my eyes, smiling. Glancing around, I didn't see any of my friends. So I trotted over to the maple tree, peering around the trunk. Glancing up, I sorted through the branches. Had anyone climbed it?

A snap made me whip around. Behind me: short grass, and the kindergarten fence. Beyond that, the street. Nothing out of place. Suspicious now, I looked back up at the tree.

Then I saw the blonde hair, and I smiled. "Rose! I found you!" I said, victorious. She frowned down at me, and leapt through the branches like a monkey to stand at my side. "Where did you learn to climb so well?" I asked, impressed by her stunt.

Rosalie shrugged, her wavy blonde hair bouncing with the action. "My family's always been good at climbing. My dad _is_ a professional rock climber." I couldn't picture Charlie doing that in a million years.

"Do you know where anyone else went?" I asked her eagerly. She shook her head apologetically. "I didn't see anyone." I turned around and surveyed the playground again. Mike was skipping around in circles, Jacob was laughing at him, Angela was hanging upside down on the climbing bars, and Jessica….Jessica was talking to a bush.

"How much you want to bet Edward's in that bush?" I asked excitedly, pointing to Jessica. Rose's eyes glimmered, and she smiled. We both took off running at the same second.

I skidded to a halt next to Jessica and couldn't help but giggle. Edward was peering up at us from under the bush, leaves stuck in his bronze hair. He smiled crookedly, and I held out my hand to help him up. He took willingly, and was on his feet in a moment.

"Found you." I stated the obvious. He nodded, brushing the dirt off himself. "How did you find me?"

Rose and I looked meaningfully at Jessica, who was murderously staring at us. "What?" she pretended to be confused. "Don't look at _me_! I wasn't even _playing_!" her nasally voice whined.

Edward glared at Jessica. "Thanks." he muttered. I smiled and tried to distract him. "Do you know where anyone else is?" I asked curiously.

He smiled angelically. "Sure I do." Before I could ask, Rose put her hands on her hips. "Well, where?" she asked impatiently. Edward's green eyes glittered mischievously, and I could tell he wasn't going to spill.

"Please tell us where they are, Edward?" I asked nicely, smiling at him. My dad told me something about using 'puppy dog eyes' whenever you wanted something, but I didn't know how to do it. Maybe you had to be a puppy? …no, because he said mom could do them really well.

Edward contemplated, and Rose and I waited. Running a hand through his bronze hair, he nodded. "Okay, follow me." he instructed, then set off walking to the kindergarten gate, where a pile of lunch pales, jackets, and backpacks lie.

Rosalie looked surprised. "That was easier than I thought it would be," she admitted. "He's usually as stubborn as a mule." I shrugged and began to follow Edward.

He stopped beside the oversized pile of lunches, jackets, and backpacks and pointed at it. "Worst hiding place ever."

I pushed some lunch pales out of the way and came to a head of curly black hair. Two crystal orbs stared up at me indignantly. "You had Eddie help you!" he accused. I smiled sheepishly and nodded.

Emmett rose from the mountain, seemingly unbeknownst to the My Little Pony lunch pale caught on his jacket. I held back a snicker as he pointed straight up. "No need to fear, Emmett is here!" And he shrugged off the lunch pale.

"Now, where's everyone else?" he asked, surveying Rose, Edward, and I. I glanced over at Edward, who shrugged. "I didn't see anyone else." he admitted. Emmett frowned, and I glanced at the playground again.

Something caught me eye that I hadn't noticed before: the door of the classroom was still open. I knew for a fact Miss Jaime wasn't here; it was just us and the lunch teachers. Smiling, I ran over and ducked into the classroom.

"Fe, fi, fo fum! You know why we have come!" Emmett hollered behind me, bouncing into the classroom. I smiled and checked over the room. Nothing seemed out of place, but I knew _somebody_ must be in here…

I heard a muffled laugh and spun around. It was coming from the blue cupboards in the back of the room. Edward heard it, too, and chuckled. "Told you I had loud-mouth siblings. They just can't keep quiet."

"I heard that!" Emmett boomed from across the room. I wrenched open the cupboard doors, only to be hugged. "Hi Bella!" Alice sang as she hugged me. I laughed. "Hey, Alice."

She shut the cupboard doors quickly and looked at our group. "Only Jazz left?" she asked curiously, and I nodded. I caught the look of shock that crossed Edward's face.

Mental Note: Ask Edward why he was so shocked later. It was just a nickname…maybe it was an older brother thing?

Emmett was flipping idly through a book he'd found on the teacher's desk. Curious, I walked over. "What's that?" he shrugged, looking at the cover. "Maybe it's a teacher's manual." he decided, and plopped the book down.

Then I noticed a lock of curly hair visible under the teacher's desk. I blinked, and it was gone. I was about to walk around and see what it was when Edward beat me to it. He stuck his head upside down, peering under Miss Jaime's desk.

He came out smiling. "There's your empath!"

Jasper popped up, grinning. Alice high-fived him.

Before anyone could speak(and before I could ask about the empathy crack), the bell rang. Again. That bell was going to get old fast, trust me.

BRRRRRIINNNGGG!!!

Everyone else trickled into the room, while we took our seats. Miss Jaime passed out some more work(that I found to be slightly easy, slightly challenging on some parts. It was relief, I thought I'd be going through the whole year knowing it all already.) before it was time to go home. I grabbed my purple backpack from the monstrous pile and trotted out the gate. To get to my house, I had to walk through the parking lot.

Swallowing my fear, I stepped carefully onto the smooth, black cement. _Just don't trip _I told myself.

I weaved my way through parked cars and stayed out of the road. Breathing a sigh of relief, I realized I was halfway across. Smiling, I glanced both ways before hurrying across…

A car screeched towards me, out of nowhere. I screamed, throwing my hands up to protect myself. Like that would do any good… The car careened forward, right at me.

Suddenly I was pushed to the side, splaying my arms out from the unexpected fall. The air whooshed out of me as I glanced back. To my shock, Edward was there. He had pushed me…but now the car was right in front of him!

And then he froze. Didn't move. I screamed as time slowed down…

The car, closer and closer…he ducked his head…the car running right over him…

The wheels missed him by inches. The car screeched to a halt a long ways away, and I realized I was bleeding. "Edward!" I cried, too shocked to think of anything else to say.

He was by my side in an instant, green eyes wide. "Are you okay?" he asked. I blinked a couple of times, brain going fuzzy. "I should be asking you that." I mumbled. Everything was dead silent for a heartbeat.

Then the screams hit me. Everyone was suddenly there, crowding round me and Edward. "Bella!" Edward?" Bella, oh my gosh!" "Edward! Oh, no…"

It was giving me a headache. I struggled to stand, lost my balance and sat back down. My hand was bleeding worse now, and I think I hit my head. Before I knew it, me and Edward were in an ambulance, being whisked off to the hospital.

Edward was still standing next to me. "How did you do that?" I asked, staring at him. His green eyes were serious. "That car was going to hit you," he shrugged. "I did what I had to."

We reached the hospital before I could respond, and Edward and I were ushered into a white room. I was, unfortunately, on a stretcher. Great.

"Bella? Bella, oh no, what happened?" I heard my dad's voice. Even better. I so didn't need him freaking out on me…

Edward explained it to my panicked father. "Dad, I'm fine." I insisted, trying to sit up. His face was murderous. "Who almost hit you?" he demanded to know, face turning red.

Edward shrugged, his green eyes telling me he didn't really care who it was. "I'm sure they're sorry." he said. My father took a deep breath, putting on his police hat once more. He muttered something and quickly stomped out the white door. "Thanks, Edward." I said.

He smiled, his green eyes matching his bronze hair. "Anytime."

All peace and quiet was shattered then as four worry-deranged kindergarteners rushed into the room. "Bella, Edward!" "Are you okay?" "What happened out there?" "Is anyone hurt?" "Who was driving that car?" "Where's dad?" "Carlisle!!" "What's taking him so long?"

It was chaos. Alice was completely freaking out, Rosalie was in a state of shock, Emmett was really confused, and Jasper was overwhelmed. Edward sighed. "HEY!"

Silence.

"We're fine. I pushed Bella out of the way and the car didn't hit me. We don't know who was driving the car, and dad's not here yet." he said calmly.

A blonde head appeared in the doorway. "Edward? What happened?" A young-looking, movie star doctor strode over, calm painted on his face. "Alice, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie? What's going on in here?"

Edward explained, and his dad checked us over for injuries. So this was the Cullen's dad…I liked him. He looked like the sort of person to remain calm in an emergency.

He told me I had a bruise on my head and that I needed stitches on my hand. Other than that I was fine and could leave tomorrow. Smiling, I asked if I could go to school. Dr. Cullen said, "Yes. You'll be staying the night, but your dad will be here to pick you up for it at eight o' clock."

That was good. I didn't want to miss my second day of kindergarten…

At that time, I didn't know Edward had stayed all night while I was sleeping, watching over me.

****

"Thanks dad!" I said to the car, leaping out. I tossed my purple backpack over my shoulder and shut the police cruiser's door. So much for avoiding attention; the cruiser had already attracted the attention of quite a few passersby.

I trotted through the kindergarten gate, looking around for the Cullens and the Hales.

Turns out I didn't need to.

"Bella! I'm so glad you could come to school! It would have been a lot more boring without you." Alice told me, throwing her arms around me. I hugged the short girl back, finding her smile to be contagious.

Emmett, Edward and Jasper sauntered over, Rosalie quickly catching up.

"So how are you feeling after a near-death experience and being saved by a six-year-old?" Emmett grinned at me, pretending to hold out a microphone for my answer.

"I'm feeling…" Uh, how do I sum it up into words? Near-death experience, strange complications with my heart and stomach(involving butterflies) and being saved by a growing friend.

"Happy, grateful, stunned, relieved, and confused." Jasper listed off my feelings perfectly, counting on his fingers. Alice shook her head at me. "Don't ask."

Mental note: Don't ask about Jasper's empathy.

Then I remembered about my last mental note. _Ask Edward why he had been so shocked about Alice giving Jasper a nickname. Maybe it was an older brother thing? _I decided I wouldn't understand. I would be an only child at heart forever, probably. I half-sighed at that…

The bell rang then, and we all went inside.

"Good morning class!" Miss Jaime cheerily greeted us before handing out some morning work. _Ugh. _I thought as I stared down at my paper. _Boring._

The morning seemed to drag by, and the recess bell seemed put off. Maybe the clock was wrong, and the recess bell was actually the lunch bell, only early! …in my dreams, more like.

BRRRRRIINNNGGG!!!

"Finally," I murmured, standing up. I pushed my yellow chair in, sure the relief was evident on my face.

Alice grabbed my hand and dragged me to the maple tree, a strange light in her brown eyes. Rosalie came with us, an impatient look to her. "Alice, what _is_ it? You've been on edge all morning, _spit it out_!" Rosalie hissed, her long blonde hair swishing.

Alice bit her lip, then checked to make sure no one could hear us. She leaned against the maple tree, sighing. "You know what Jessica told the boys yesterday?"

Shoot. I'd forgotten all about it, though I had a valid reason. "Yes," Rose snapped when she didn't go on. "And?"

Alice tucked a spike of black hair behind her ear. "I overheard Emmett and Edward talking yesterday, about what Jessica told them. They thought she was lying."

We were quiet for a moment, until Rose snorted. "What, are they blind? Bella, you dig Edward and Edward digs you." My mouth fell open, and I had to respond. "What? I…" Rose continued, ignoring me. "Alice, you like Jasper, and he really likes you. And I like Emmett, and he…he likes pork chops."

I had to chuckle at that, and Alice joined me.

She shrugged, her blue eyes amused. "What? It's true." Alice nodded solemnly, and I laughed again. Alice suddenly perked up, a grin lighting her small face. "You guys should come over to my house today!" she chirped.

Rosalie immediately shook her head. "I can't, my mom is taking me shopping." Alice pouted, and I shrugged. "My dad probably won't let me go anywhere after that car 'incident'. At least that's what he calls it."

I didn't pass the accident off as a just a little thing, but my dad was making the _biggest_ deal out of it. I was so thankful to Edward. He risked his life to save me.

Mental Note: Find some way to help Edward back

Alice shook her head. "Nah, he'll let you. I know it!" Rose laughed, and Alice smiled. "Of course you do," Rosalie said.

Before I could ask what they meant, the stupid. Bell. Rang. Again. BRRRRRIINNNGGG!!!

That was one thing I would never miss. Buh-bye, bell. And to think my name's close to that annoying thing! Bell, Bella!

Right before lunch, Miss Jaime asked Alice to go up to the board and write 'Miss Jaime's Class' at the very top.

I watched as pixie-like Alice strolled up to the board. Absently, she chose a purple pen. That's where the trouble starts. Reaching up, she hardly skims the halfway mark on the whiteboard. A ripple of amusement waved through the class.

To my surprise, she pranced back to her desk and grabbed a hold of her chair. Then she dragged it up to the board. Standing upon it, she wrote in nice, clear letters:

Miss Jaime's Class

Miss Jaime looked proud as she strode to the front of the room. "That, children, was a perfectly good example of being clever!" She quietly applauded Alice, who modestly handed her the purple pen and returned to her desk with her chair.

I high-fived her when she sat down, smiling.

BRRRRRIINNNGGG!!!

I was out of my seat before the bell had stopped ringing. Freedom!

Of course I tripped on my way out. The side of the door, a.k.a. the wall, caught on my foot and I almost hit my head on the wall. An inch before my forehead connected with the door, someone stopped me. He pulled me back to a standing position, and I sighed in relief, turning around to see who it was.

Emerald green eyes, perfectly messed up bronze hair…

"Edward!" I gasped. Though I was first out of my seat, Edward and I were the last to leave the classroom. He smiled. "I have to save you again?" he asked playfully. I blushed and quickly replied, "Thanks. That's three times, isn't it?"

Edward nodded, his eyes sparkling. My stomach started doing flips again. _Do I have a stomachache? Heart attack? _I mentally shook my head to clear it. Of course I didn't have heart problems or a stomachache! I smiled at Edward once more and skipped off to the maple tree, where Rose and Alice were already conversing.

"Hi guys," I said, sitting down next to them.

"Hey Bella!" Alice chimed, smiling. She tucked a wayward black pike behind her ear, and Rosalie turned to me. "Did you hear we're going to have a field trip tomorrow?" she asked, blue eyes excited. I shook my head, but Alice nodded. Rose grinned. "Of course _you_ knew, Alice."

"We're going to the zoo!" Alice trilled happily, taking a bite out of her sandwich. Remembering my lunch, I opened up a tuna sandwich. Rosalie had a salad for lunch…strange, but I didn't question her.

"The zoo?" I asked curiously. I didn't know Forks had a zoo. Alice nodded. "There's one in Seattle." she confirmed, and I smiled. "Cool,"

Rose had another thought in mind as she flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "So what are we going to do today?"

I shrugged, and Alice looked thoughtful. An idea sparked into her brown eyes. "Oh, let's play tag." she beamed at us, and Rose nodded. I smiled. "That sounds great."

Alice turned to Rose. "Your turn to ask the boys if they want to play tag!" she insisted. Rosalie shrugged, seeming unabashed.

"Wait, no! _They're _going to ask _us_ to play tag!" Alice suddenly spoke up, her voice much more excited than it had been. Curiously, I peered behind the tree. Sure enough, Edward, Emmett and Jasper were walking toward us.

"How did you know that?" I asked Alice curiously. She shrugged, her pink shirt forming to her shoulder's movement. _That's not an answer, _I thought, but didn't press her for information.

Emmett's head poked out from behind the tree. "Hey, what's up?" he asked cheerily, coming to sit with us. Alice shook her head, "Nothing."

Edward and Jasper trotted over, and I had to glance away from Edward's green eyes. I didn't want to risk a blush while staring into his emerald orbs…huh. I've never had to do that before…maybe it has something to do with the 'heart attack' symptoms?

Mental Note: Ask Alice about the funny things happening to my heart and stomach. Maybe she knows?

"Great, so you can play tag with us!" Emmett yelled. I returned to the present, smiling. Alice and Rose nodded. "Who's it?" I asked curiously, risking a glance at Edward. His green eyes were locked on my face, to my surprise.

I know my face went pink; I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"I volunteer Edward." Jasper said calmly, smiling as Edward glared at him. Emmett grinned wider. "Edward it is then!"

"Give us ten seconds to run," Alice instructed, and I stumbled to my feet. She danced over to the climbing bars, and I fled to the monkey bars. Glancing back to see if Edward had finished counting to ten, I stumbled where the grass met the sand.

Luckily, I caught myself. Unluckily, Edward was suddenly right behind me. He helped me up, smiling. "You're it," he grinned at me crookedly, messing with my heart some more. Then he wa gone, running. I brushed the sand off my pants and surveyed the playground.

Alice was hanging upside down from the climbing bars. Rosalie was running toward an open swing, and Emmett….Emmett was lounging in front of the classroom, making faces at me. I narrowed my eyes and started running towards him.

He flew up to a standing position and rocketed away, laughing. "Slow poke!" he jeered, and I increased my pace. We ran circles around the swing, and I finally managed to tag him when Rosalie 'accidentally' tripped him.

I fell, exhausted, onto a swing. "No…tag backs…" I panted out as Emmett staggered to his feet. He shot a furious glance at Rosalie, and I knew she was in for it. She saw it too, for she bolted from her swing, laughing. He followed her, faster.

She was it in a matter of moments.

Alice's hair looked funny upside down. The black spikes seemed to float in the air, and I almost laughed at the crazy grin on her face. Rosalie ambled up behind her, going in for the kill. "Tag!" she shouted, lightly punching Alice's shoulder. She gasped, twisting around.

"Rose!" her indigent cry rang up. Eyes glittering determinedly, she flipped herself around and landed upright on her feet. Scanning the playground, her brown eyes froze on the one person who hadn't been tagged yet: Jasper.

To my surprise, she threw her head back and laughed like an insane asylum escapee. Rosalie sighed, and Emmett continued pulling faces at whoever was it. Edward, I noted, was perched upon the monkey bars. I could see from the swings his tense stance. Alice zoomed right by her brother, however, and I watched as she pursued Jasper. Edward was easily the fastest, but Jasper came in at second. Poor Alice was too short to go fast.

BRRRRRIINNNGGG!!!

I saw Emmett's face fall, and I'm sure mine did too. I _liked_ recess, it was the funniest part of the day! Sighing, I stood up from my swing and walked across the blacktop, pouting. I heard Alice's satisfied shout of "Ha!" from behind and it told me she had caught Jasper.

***

"Dad, I need a paper bag lunch today. We're going to the zoo!" I skipped happily downstairs. My dad already had the paper bag out. "I know, your teacher told me." he shoved the lunch into my backpack, and I told him goodbye.

Upon arriving to the school, Miss Jaime ushered me onto the bus. Apparently I was running late, and they were already boarding. I tried not to trip on my up the stairs. This time, I was successful. Alice was ricocheting off the walls, patting the empty space beside her. Rose had the window seat next to her, and I was surprised. Buses didn't usually seat three people, did they?

I sat next to her, my smile wide. My dad had let me borrow his camera, and I took it out immediately. "This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait until we get there. I wonder if they'll-" Alice paused to smile for the camera, "have flamingos! I love flamingos. They're cool!"

Emmett, Edward, and Jasper were sitting front of us. Upon hearing Alice's comment, Emmett turned around. "Flamingos are for babies! Bears are so much cooler." he scoffed, blue eyes wide. I snapped a picture of that look on his face, grinning wider.

Alice stuck her tongue out at her brother, and Rose smirked. _Snap. _Oh, this was priceless!

The bus reached it's destination then, and Alice squealed in delight. That was quicker than I expected…

"Alright everyone. You may wander the park, because it's relatively small, but you must always have a buddy. If we find you without a buddy, you'll have to stay with me the rest of the day." Miss Jaime told us sternly, her brown eyes scanning over us.

Then she stepped aside and we paraded down the steps, bustling out the door. I smiled. This was going to be one fun field trip!

Miss Jaime quickly led us to the entrance, where lion statues roared at us and monkey-shaped bushes scratched their heads. I skipped up to Alice, smiling. "Let me guess, you'll be going to see the flamingos?" I teased.

She beamed and nodded, pulling an expensive-looking digital camera from her pack. "And I'll be taking lots of pictures!" she assured me. I tore my eyes away from the beautiful camera to smile back.

"Where are you going Rose?" I asked the blonde on the other side of Alice curiously. She shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulders. Emmett suddenly appeared beside her, a cocky grin on his face as he slung his arm around her shoulder. "Don't you know? She's coming with me to see the bears!"

Rose shrugged off his arm, though I caught her pleased smile. "Minus the arm, Emmett." she said causally. Alice giggled at that, and Emmett shrugged, unabashed.

We trotted through the entrance, and my breath caught in my throat.

The place was beautiful! A stone fountain spurted crystal blue water into the air, then it cascaded lightly to the bottom. Lilies bloomed in flower beds, roses dotted in between them. The early light cast pretty shadows, and I smiled.

Emmett immediately grabbed Rose's hand and started running down a winding path. I heard his excited shout of, "Bears!" as he disappeared from sight, Rosalie smiling. I watched Alice do pretty much the same thing with Jasper, giggling over flamingos.

And then Edward came up beside me. "And then there were two," he murmured, and I nodded. Secretly, I was pleased. Somehow, I knew my 'heart attack symptoms' had something to do with the boy beside me. He smiled at me, green eyes capturing my attention. "You want to go see the mountain lions?" he asked eagerly.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

We walked slowly down the rocky path. Occasionally, we would see another person, but the zoo was having a slow day. Mostly, it was just me and Edward. That sounded nice…

"There they are," Edward declared, pointing ahead.

A large habitat rest on the crest of a hill. Glass walls surrounded the area, a few small trees dotting the inside. Rocks were scattered around, and I could make out a shallow cave in one of them. As we got closer, I noticed the mountain lion.

It was huge, and pacing around. Glossy tawny fur glimmered in the early sunlight as it swung it's head left and right, eyes a piercing yellow color.

"Wow," I breathed, stunned by it's beauty. Edward nodded, his bronze hair shivering in the breeze. "Cool." he smiled, and I smiled too. It was cool. Mountain lions were very interesting, and I wondered why I'd never noticed before.

And then the silence was interrupted by a piercing, high-pitched scream. Edward gasped, and I frowned. "Emmett!" he yelled, then took off the way we had come. _Emmett…_Honestly, I wasn't surprised. He'd probably gotten eaten by a bear. That was _so_ Emmett.

I pelted after him, pumping my fists as I ran. "Where are the bears?" I panted, catching up to Edward.

"Left!" he told me, and we turned in the nick of time. What the heck had happened to Emmett, and why did he scream like a _girl_?

We rounded the corner, gasping, to a horrifying sight. I think Rose was in a state of shock, for she was standing their with her hands cupped over her mouth and blue eyes wide. Edward and I slowly advanced, hardly daring to look down into the bear scoop.

In the below ground exhibit, Emmett was pressed up against a tall pine tree. His blue eyes were as big as saucers, and I could see the twigs in his black hair. Slowly advancing on him was the original inhabitant of the area: A grizzly bear.

"Emmett!" I shouted. He glanced up to see me and Edward standing with Rose. To my disbelief, he threw us a small wave. I could almost hear him saying: _Not part of the plan, but I'll take it. _Aw, Emmett!

"Stay here, I'll get help." Edward instructed, and I nodded. He was gone in an instant, and I sighed. Rose still hadn't moved.

"Rose? Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, waving my pale hand in her face. She blinked a couple of time before focusing on me. "Oh, Bella! I tried to catch him, but…but…" Her blue eyes filled with tears as she held up a black shoe that I hadn't noticed before.

Glancing back at Emmett, I realized he was only wearing one shoe.

I had the strangest urge to laugh. I mean come on, that was kind of ridiculous! But by the heartbroken look on Rose's face, I knew it wouldn't be a good idea. She buried her face in her hands. "My boyfriend's going to be eaten by a bear!" she wailed.

Emmett's grin was like a light bulb in the dark. "Your boyfriend?" he asked in astonishment. Rose nodded, tears streaming down her face.

I suddenly had an idea. It was weird, but I didn't ever want to forget this. Fishing into my backpack, I first took out some tissues for Rose. "Thanks," she sniffled. Then, I grabbed my camera. Focusing on Emmett, I hit the 'record' button.

"This is my friend Emmett. He fell into a bear habitat at the zoo." I turned it to the bear, then back to Emmett. The boy was still grinning crazily at Rose.

Then, Edward zoomed from around the corner. His green eyes were determined. Behind him, two panicked employees crashed into each other, trying to hurry to the cage.

"Oh my gosh." One of them choked out, a girl with strawberry blonde hair. "Tanya, how're we going to get him out?" The other girl asked. Tanya rolled her eyes. "That's the easy part." I snapped a picture of Emmett, not really worried. He would be fine…right?

The two zookeepers went around to the other side of the exhibit and went down some stairs. I turned to Edward, doubt on my face. "Is he going to be okay?" I asked. Rosalie shook her head, tears still crawling down her face. "He's going to _die_." she croaked.

"I will not die!" an indigent voice didn't let Edward answer. Emmett shook his fist at the bear, who had advanced a good foot and was now growling. "I'm Emmett! No bear can kill me!" He insisted.

"He's dead." Edward sighed, green eyes glued to his brother. I turned my chocolate brown eyes on him as the two zookeepers crept into the habitat. The strawberry blonde one ushered Emmett through a door, in which he strode through proudly, puffing out his small chest.

He strolled over to us casually, a cocky grin on his face. Tanya the zookeeper accompanied him, a stern look upon her face. "You're alive!" Rose gasped, giving him a huge hug. He hugged her back, grinning. "Of course I am!"

I sighed, relieved. Edward shook his head at his brother, but I could see his small smile. "Emmett, Emmett, Emmett…." he crossed his arms in mock disappointment. Emmett stuck his tongue out at his brother, and strode off laughing. "Monkeys next!"

Edward shrugged. "Let's go see what Alice and Jasper are up to." He took my hand, making me blush, and led me down a tropical road. "This place is really peaceful." I commented, looking up at the graceful ferns and hanging vines.

Edward nodded, smiling mischievously. "Once you get past The Emmett." I laughed. Emmett would appreciate that…

We rounded the corner then, and I saw Alice chatting animatedly to a pink flamingo. Jasper was standing nearby, an amused smile on his face. "Alice, are you talking to that flamingo?" she whipped around.

"Bella!" she threw her small arms around me in a hug. She looked up at me with wide brown eyes. "Did you have anything to do with Emmett screaming?" her voice turned suspicious. I laughed.

"Nah, he just fell into the grizzly pen and nearly got eaten." Edward told her. Jasper's eyebrows shot up. "That must have been fun."

Alice giggled. "And to answer your question, yes I was talking to the flamingo! His name is Ranger!" she chimed. I glanced over at the pink bird. It stared back with black eyes, looking bored.

Alice danced back over to it, reaching over the fence to gently touch "Ranger's" neck. "Alice," Edward groaned. To my shock, the flamingo opened it's mouth and screeched, fluffing out it's wings. Alice stepped away, eyes wide.

Ranger yowled again, louder this time, and started running backward. Fascinated, I watched him stop and turn back to us. Then, he started running back to us, feathers fluffed. Alice stepped back again, and Jasper took her hand.

Just as he was about to crash into the fence, Ranger leaped. I mean, he didn't leap, he _flew_. I still had my camera out, and I snapped a picture of him in mid-air.

Ranger fell toward Alice, screeching madly. Screaming, Alice turned and ran. "I think that's a good idea." I said nervously as Ranger landed. He yowled and started running lopsidedly after Alice. Jasper was the first to bolt after him, me and Edward right behind.

"Alice!" Jasper called. She pelted down the road, and I heard her screams turn to laughter. Ranger cawed loudly and sped up, the rabid flamingo right on her heels. I started laughing, I couldn't help it. How many people can say they've pursued a rabid flamingo who was chasing their best friend around the zoo?

Edward and Jasper started laughing too, and we all chuckled our way after Alice. Suddenly, she stopped and whipped around to face Ranger. He cawed loudly and skidded to a stop, flaring his pink wings. We all stopped too, suspicious.

Alice suddenly darted behind the flamingo and leaped onto his back. Screeching, it ambled away. Laughing like a maniac, Alice almost fell off. Jasper rushed forward. "Alice, what are doing?"

She giggled. "Riding a flamingo, Jazz! Come on, it's fun!" Jasper shook his head, smiling. I was still laughing uncontrollably. Whipping out my camera, I had to work to keep the camera from moving by my fits of mirth.

"Alice the wrangler." Edward chuckled. "Have fun on your bird, sister." He turned and walked away. I waved by and quickly caught up to him. "This is the craziest zoo I've ever been too." I admitted. Edward glanced over at me with his emerald eyes. "Nah, it's just the people _in_ the zoo."

I laughed. "I guess you're right."

We passed the middle of the park, and I glanced up at the huge, white clock. It read five till noon. "It's time for lunch." I realized, and Edward nodded. Taking my hand, he smiled and led me to the lunch benches by the hyena exhibit. That was where we were supposed to be eating.

His hand on mine did funny things to my heart, and I anxiously reminded myself to talk to Alice about that. Edward's green eyes sparkled as we sat down. Emmett, of course, was already there, tapping his fingers impatiently. He seemed unfazed from his bear experience.

Rosalie sat next to him, her blue eyes fixed on us. "Hey Bella, Edward." she acknowledged.

"Hi Rose." I crossed my ankles, smiling at my best friend. Could I call her that? Yes, she and Alice were my best friends.

Miss Jaime came then, passing out our lunches of chicken fingers and French fries. Emmett's world seemed to brighten as he beamed at the food. "Food!" he sighed happily, and I caught Rose resisting a smirk.

Alice ran up to our table, panting. Jasper followed, out of breath, too. "Sorry." Alice breathed, taking a seat next to me. "Didn't notice the time."

Jasper sat next to his sister, brushing a blonde curl out his face. Emmett looked up from his food (which was half-gone already) "Not nowice uh yime? How ould yoo?" he sputtered through a mouth of chicken fingers.

I held back a laugh as Rose rolled her eyes. "Close your mouth while you eat, doofus."

We all laughed at that. "Not everyone's as obsessed with food as you are, Emmett." Edward answered his brother, his musical voice sounding like an orchestra. Wait, what? What was an orchestra? I pick way too many things up from my mom…

I idly took a bite from my chicken. It didn't taste so hot. Holding back a disgusted face, I swallowed it quickly. How could Emmett eat this stuff? "Hey Jasper, I'll bet you I can burp all the ABC's!" Emmett suddenly sang, his blue eyes wide as he bounced in his seat. Jasper grinned. "You're on!" he nodded.

I turned to Edward. "Is he really going to burp the ABC's?" I whispered. His bright green eyes were amused as he glanced at me. "He has, is, and will."

I watched in fascination as Emmett took a deep breath and stood up. All of our eyes were glued on him, though I knew Alice probably had her nose scrunched up and Rose most likely wanted to sink into the ground.

"A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y-" He cut off suddenly, taking a deep breath of air. Rosalie held her nose as she gazed up at him. I couldn't help it. The look of pride and defeat on his face was so completely twisted I started laughing.

"I've never gotten past R…but I lost the bet!" he collapsed into his chair, the whole table laughing now. Emmett alone stared at us, one eyebrow raised. "What? It wasn't that funny!"

I calmed my laughter, shaking my head. "No Emmett, it wasn't funny at all." He paused, a smile of hope spreading across his innocent face. "It was hilarious."

More giggles spread evenly across the table, and I smiled. Kindergarten was turning out way better than I thought it would. Who knew?

Emmett was apparently done with this joke. "Come on everyone, let's go watch the wild animal show!" he grabbed Rosalie's hand and practically dragged her off the bench. Alice leaped up, and I could see her excitement through her brown eyes. Beaming, she nodded. "Yeah, let's go!"

Taking Jasper's hand, she followed Emmett and Rosalie. Tossing my chicken into the trash, I turned to Edward. "Want to go see the wild animal show?" I asked, smiling up at him. His green eyes softened as he took my hand. "Only with you."

My heart started beating faster and I felt the flush creeping up my face. _Huh? _My stomach dove gracefully around, pulling at my heart. We walked together, holding hands, my mind reeling. Edward was holding my hand! I knew my face was red, but I could hardly concentrate as we walked down the stone path.

A large amphitheater rose up before us, gray and black. Alice and Emmett were eagerly wrenching open the glass door, identical grins sewn onto their faces. Rosalie held the door for us, smirking at Emmett. "Thanks, Rosalie." Edward nodded to her.

Two hallways stretched out to the sides. Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie had gone left. Edward smiled faintly and turned to follow them. I wondered what the animal show would be about? Hopefully nothing too dangerous. Danger magnet, that's me.

We went through another door, leading outside. Maroon seats stretched in a half-circle as the sun shone brightly down on us. Alice, of course, had snagged front row seats. Edward led me down to them, where Alice was bouncing in her seat and Emmett was blabbing on about bears to Rose.

I sat next to Alice and Edward. "Bella, what's your favorite animal?" Alice asked me curiously, brown eyes shining. Caught off guard, it took me a moment to answer. "I'd have to say…lambs."

Edward glanced at me curiously. "Why lambs?" he asked in his musical voice.

I shrugged. "They're nursery rhyme animals, and I think they're cute." Nobody had a chance to respond, because the curtains on the stage in front of us opened. I heard Emmett's excited laughter from over next to Rose.

"Hello ladies and gentleman!" A man stepped out. His black hair was combed down and his hazel eyes twinkled merrily. Edward was still holding my hand, and I blushed when his gaze raked over us. Turning his attention to the back of the amphitheater, he called. "Welcome to the Seattle zoo's Wild Animal Show!"

Behind us, people started clapping. I was reluctant to let go of Edward's hand, but I clapped anyway. "My name is Eleazer and I will be your host for this show." the man said, and immediately launched into a discussion of wild animals.

A few minutes later, Eleazer paused. "Now, it's time for our first guest…"

Edward brightened beside me. "Finally! I thought he'd be talking the whole show!" I heard him mutter, and I smiled.

Eleazer glanced over to the side of the stage, where the curtains wiggled. "Please welcome our friend Chester and his handler Carmen!"

To my surprise, a well-groomed orangutan was carried onto the stage. He had black eyes that surveyed the crowd curiously and light orange tinged hair. A Mexican woman carried him with a dazzling smile on her face. The woman took the microphone.

"Hi everybody, say hello to Chester!" a chorus of 'hello's' echoed at her, and the orangutan Chester waved. I smiled. "Aw, he's cute."

Alice nodded beside me, engrossed in what Carmen was saying about 'deforestation', whatever that meant. Edward was smiling, and I glanced shyly up at him from the corner of my eyes. His bronze hair glittered in the sun. That was nice…

There I go again! What was I thinking? I _really_ need to ask Alice about this. What was _wrong_ with me?

"I'd like three volunteers to come up here and meet our next guest." Eleazer called out as Carmen led Chester away. Alice and Emmett's hand shot into the air, not to my surprise. Rosalie and Jasper raised their hands too, but more slowly.

I didn't raise my hand, and neither did Edward. "Why don't you want to go up there?" he looked surprised. I blushed, which I knew would just make him want to know even more.

"I'll probably trip or something," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze. He opened his mouth to protest, green eyes locked onto my face, but it was too late. "How about you in the purple, you in the green, and…you in the blue!" Eleazer yelled, pointing at Alice, Jasper and Emmett.

Alice bounded out of her seat, dragging Jasper with her. Emmett was hard on their heels as they raced up onto the stage. This couldn't end well…

"Okay, can you three tell me your names?"

Emmett grabbed the microphone from the man. "Hey man, my name's Emmett Cullen!" He struck a pose, blue eyes glued to the audience.

Alice took the microphone next. "I'm Alice Cullen!" she chirped, grinning. I watched her tuck a stray black spike behind her ear as she handed the microphone to Jasper.

"Hi, I'm Jasper Hale." he said, then gave the microphone back to a miffed-looking Eleazer.

"Alright, Emmett, Alice and Jasper. Meet our resident bald eagle: Tara!" Another woman came out, with blonde hair and a bald eagle perched on her shoulder. Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and my eyes widened. I noticed Edward lean forward in his seat slightly. He looked at the eagle with wide green eyes.

The lady took the microphone from Eleazer. "I'm Irina and this is Tara, the zoo's bald eagle. I see we already have our volunteers?" Eleazer nodded, and I opened my backpack. Taking out my camera, I snapped a couple pictures of the three of them standing up there while Irina talked about bald eagles.

Then I got a few of Tara the bald eagle. She was quite pretty…

"Now, we're going to have each of you interact with a different animal. Alice, how about you hold Tara for a while?" Irina stepped toward Alice, a friendly smile on her face. _This won't end well…_Alice wasn't good with birds, apparently.

Alice nodded vigorously and stretched out her arm. I watched as Irina put a brace on her petite hand. Tara leapt easily from Irina's arm to Alice. The tiny girl staggered for a moment, and Jasper caught her before she fell. Regaining her balance easily, she flashed Jasper a smile. _That's cute. _I thought.

Alice stared at the bald eagle perched upon her. "Alright, now let's have Emmett come forward!" Eleazer said, after nearly wrestling the microphone away from Irina. I think that guy had problems.

Emmett strode forward proudly, running a hand through his midnight black hair. Irina disappeared behind the curtain. "Now, for our next guest: Fang!"

Irina stumbled back on stage with a gray wolf. He shook out his gray-white fur and trotted along with Irina to stand in front of Emmett. "Wow," I breathed. Emmett surveyed the wolf calmly, blue eyes speculative. Rose gasped from two seats over.

"Say hello to Emmett, Fang." Irina said as the crowd 'oohed' and 'aahed'. Fang stared at Emmett with unblinking yellow eyes. Edward snickered beside me. "Finally, Emmett gets a scare."

I looked at Emmett again. "He doesn't look scared." I offered, but Edward turned to me with a knowing glint in his eye. "Emmett's my brother, I know when he's scared." he assured me, and I nodded dumbly. His sparkling green eyes captivated me a moment longer before he turned away.

Emmett gently took the leash/restrainer that held Fang. He swallowed hard, his blue eyes fixed on the wolf. I thought I heard him mutter, "Good doggy," once or twice.

"Now for our last guest, the famous Indiana!" Eleazer stepped to the side as Irina once more appeared, this time carrying a small alligator. _They can't be serious. _I thought. A bald eagle, a wolf, and an alligator? These people were crazy.

Irina stepped to the middle of the stage, cradling the small reptile. I saw Alice, Emmett, and Jasper all gawk at him. "This is Indiana, a 4 month old crocodile." Edward snickered beside me. "Get your camera ready." he told me, and I turned it back on.

Irina handed Indiana off to Jasper, ignoring his look of disbelief. _Snap. _Alice grinning while holding Tara the bald eagle. Emmett nervously watching Fang the wolf at his feet. Jasper staring in denial at Indiana the crocodile in his arms.

Priceless.

Maybe I'll become a photographer when I grow up. Maybe…

Irina and Eleazer talked some more about saving the environment and wild animals. After a minute, they instructed Alice, Emmett and Jasper to go back to their seats. Irina walked Fang back, Indiana in her arms. Tara had been trained to fly above her.

Alice skipped to her seat beside me, smiling. "That was amazing!" she breathed. Jasper took his seat beside her. "I'm _never_ doing that again." Emmett laughed nervously, sidling past. "It was awesome! Fang was really cool." A smile plastered on his face, he sat back down next to Rose.

"Whatever you say, Emmett." Edward murmured. Wordlessly, I smiled and showed Alice the picture I had taken. She burst out laughing, causing Eleazer to pause his goodbye speech and stare incredulously at her.

"And that's it for the Wild Animal show, folks! I hoped you enjoyed it and come back soon." Eleazer disappeared backstage, microphone clutched in his olive-colored hand.

"That was different," Emmett mused, stalking past.

"What a rip-off!" Rosalie stormed after him.

"Worst show ever." Jasper muttered, following.

"That was so cool!" Alice gushed, twirling forward.

I stood up, following them. "That was priceless." I smiled, and Edward smiled at me. "We're never gonna forget this!"

I shook my head. "Especially not with the pictures I took." Edward flashed a smile at me, making my heart stutter once more. Not that again…

Just then, the clock struck two o clock. "It's time to go back to school!" Rosalie sighed in relief, and I smiled. We walked toward the center of the park where we had lunch. Miss Jaime had the other kids in line already, and she ushered us beside them quickly.

"Alright everyone, let's go, hurry up! Use the buddy system, I want two lines!" Miss Jaime told us, a smile gracing her flushed face. I hope she had a good time too.

I was buddies with Edward. Mike and Jessica were buddies and stood directly in front of us. "Hiya Bella!" Mike twisted around so his blue eyes were locked on my brown ones. He waved, and I caught Jessica's jealous look. "Hey Mike," I smiled, and he grinned back.

I turned back to Edward as we walked out of the park and headed toward our bus. He wore the same expression he had during the fire drill when Mike called my name. I couldn't put my finger on it, there were too many emotions on his face for me to read clearly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, curious. His face smoothed out and his green eyes warmed. "Nothing Bella, just thinking." He flashed me a smile as if to prove it, but it never reached his eyes.

We trudged into the bus, and after much bustling around, ended up in our same seats. Alice was strangely quiet, staring out the window most of the trip. Rosalie was smiling and engaged me immediately in conversation concerning what my favorite part was. "All of it," I answered truthfully. The whole trip had been amazing.

"Smile Rose!" I held up the camera, and she flashed a dazzling smile. Two seconds before I clicked it, Emmett's fingers found a way to reach behind Rose's head in bunny ears. _Snap. _Rosalie with bunny ears.

I snickered.

Alice perked up from my other side, brown eyes wide. "Hey Bella, Rose! What are you doing tomorrow?" I thought to tomorrow…Thursday. All I had going on was school. "School," Rose echoed my thought, pulling a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Maybe you could spend the night at my house!" Alice chirped. "I know my parents will let you." Rose nodded. "Of course my mom will, even if it's a school night." I got the feeling they'd done this before.

"My mom would, since I've never been to a sleepover…and my dad would agree with my mom."

Alice's eyes got really wide, and Rose's mouth fell open in shock. I thought she was going to fall off the seat. "You've _never_ been to a sleepover?" Alice's voice was astonished.

I shook my head, blushing. I hadn't had many friends before kindergarten. Emmett turned around, one eyebrow raised. "Wow, that's pretty lame."

I blushed harder, while Rosalie, Alice and Jasper all glared at him. It was Edward, however, who verbally stood up for me. "Emmett, leave her alone. That's not lame!"

My face must have been as red as a lobster as Edward's green eyes studied me. "Thanks, Edward." I sighed, relieved. It wasn't my fault I'd never been to a sleepover…

The bus pulled up in front of our school. "Okay everyone, time to go home!" Miss Jaime stood up, still smiling. "I want everyone to get their backpacks and have safe trip back to your house." She slid aside as Jacob rushed out the door.

Everyone trickled outside, where the sun was shining brightly. I lifted my face to the rare sunshine, smiling as the warmth met my cold skin. It felt really good.

"Come on Bella, you can use my cell phone to call your dad!" Alice grabbed my arm, shaking me out of my sunshine bubble. Wait, what did she say? I replayed the sentence in my head. "Your _cell phone_?" We were in kindergarten! My dad said I couldn't have one of those until I was in 6th grade!

Alice nodded, dragging me over to the pile of backpacks. "Yep!" Her white teeth glinted in the sunlight, and I saw Rose waiting. Her foot tapped impatiently as I slung my backpack over my shoulder and Alice whipped out a tiny, silver and red phone. "What's your dad's work number?" she asked excitedly.

I paused for a moment, thinking…what was it again? Oh yeah! I quickly recited it to her. She punched in the numbers and handed it to me. Ring. Ring. Ri- "Hello?" my dad's voice. I was surprised he answered; usually it was the police station's secretary. "Hi dad, it's Bella!"

"Oh, hi Bells. Why are you calling? Is something wrong?" his voice took on a tone of worry and I leaned back against the wall. "No, everything's fine. I was just wondering if I could go to a sleepover at Alice's house!"

There was a silence. _Tick tock, _I thought, my impatience spilling over.

"Her brother's the one who pushed you out of the way of that car, right?" I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see and blushed. "Yep, that's Edward." Another pause, much shorter this time. "Okay, you can go. I know where Dr. Cullen lives, I'll drop off your stuff at five."

I smiled. "Thanks dad! Bye, love you!" I shot Alice a triumphant look, in which she flashed me an 'I told you so' smile. "Love you, Bella. Bye." Click.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Alice squealed, throwing her arms around me. The breath whooshed out of my lungs. "Alice…can't….breathe. Rose…help!" Rose chuckled from beside me, prying Alice away with twinkling blue eyes. Alice bounced up and down, grabbing her backpack and taking her phone. Stuffing the silver cell into her pocket, she raced away toward the sidewalk. "Come on, let's go!"

I followed slower, Rose beside me. "Where does she get her energy?" I questioned my friend, stifling a yawn. This was going to be a long night. Rose smiled and shook her head, blonde locks falling behind her shoulders. "We only wish we'd figured that out years ago."

***

Dr. Cullen drove us to his house, though he insisted I call him Carlisle. As we pulled up in his black Mercedes, my mouth fell open in shock, my gasp audible.

Their house was huge! Large glass windows were everywhere, and a neat little garden was tended to perfection in the front.

"You like it?" Alice asked, hearing my shocked intake of breath. I nodded, staring at the mansion before me. She beamed and grabbed my and Rose's hands. "Then come _on_!"

I heard Carlisle lock the door behind us as Alice dragged us inside. Rose smiled when we stepped through the door, and I had to stifle another gasp.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, and a large cream couch rest in the room. A grand piano sat in the corner on a raised platform, with more windows surrounding it. Large, cream-carpeted stairs elegantly came to rest on the ground.

"Your home is beautiful." I breathed, my chocolate eyes wide.

A tall woman walked in from the hallway. She had cascading waves of caramel hair, and a smile. "Thank you." she said, and I realized this must be Alice's mom, Esme. By the look of pride on her face, I knew she must have designed it or something.

Alice grabbed my arm. "Come one, let's go upstairs." she led me to the cream stairs, and Rose followed. A long hallway stretched at the top. Alice ducked into the first room.

"Wow." I said.

The whole room was painted purple, with green polka dots everywhere. Very vibrant, very Alice. The room was huge.

"This is my room." Alice told me, twirling around to collapse on the purple bed. Rose sat her backpack down in the corner, and I did the same.

"What do you want to do?" Rose asked, sitting on the floor. Alice bounced down to sit next to her, eyes wide with excitement. She turned to me. "Bella, what do you want to do?"

I remembered my mental note to ask Alice about my heart attack symptoms. "Well, I have a question."

Their eyes glued to me, I explained. "I think Edward's giving me a heart attack. Whenever I see him, my heart jumps around and my stomach feel funny. Funny, like strange funny. D you know what it is? Is it really heart attack symptoms?"

Alice and Rosalie looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Hurt, my gaze dropped to the floor. Why were they laughing? "Oh, Bella." Alice shook her head, recovering from her giggles. "We know exactly what that is."

Relief made my shoulders sag. I met their gaze. "Well what is it?"

Rosalie smiled. "You like Edward." she stated simply. Puzzled, I frowned. "Well, yeah. I like you guys too, and Emmett and Jasper. They don't make my heart do flips."

Alice smiled wider, her black hair seeming to get darker as her teeth sparkled. "No, as in you like _like _him." Oh. That like. That explained a lot of things…

"Oh."

Rosalie assured me, "Relax, Bella. You're not alone." she threw a meaningful glance at Alice, who rolled her eyes and said, "Look who's talking."

I was so relieved to finally have my feelings sorted out. So now, what to do about it? I could just act like nothing had changed, because nothing _had_ really changed. I just realized what I should have realized a long time ago.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Alice asked me curiously. I shrugged. "You seem to know more about this. What should I do?"

Rosalie looked thoughtful as she bit her bottom lip absently. "I think you should let him decide what to do. Edward's the old-fashioned type, and that's what Esme did with Carlisle." she told me, and I nodded.

"Okay, that doesn't seem to hard." I brightened. Alice leapt up, her hair sticking out more than usual. Her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. "Edward and Emmett are home." she declared.

"How did you-" I was cut off by Rosalie grabbing my arm and dragging me downstairs. How had Alice known they were here? The walls were basically sound-proof. I brushed it off, focusing my attention on the stairs Rose was currently catapulting me down.

To my frustration, I still tripped. On the last step. Before I hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught me. I looked up to see Edward's green eyes and bronze hair. Darn it! My heart fluttered once more as he righted me. "Thanks." I breathed, embarrassed. My face must be beet red.

Emmett snickered off to the side. Rosalie glared at him, and I flushed harder. Why did I have to be such a klutz?

Disguising his laughter as coughing, Emmett turned and walked upstairs. "You should get that cough fixed," Rosalie muttered sarcastically, rolling her blue eyes. Edward glared daggers up at his brother's retreating form. If only I hadn't tripped!

"Come on, let's go back upstairs." Alice said, eyes glued to my red face. I look ed at the ground as we tromped back upstairs. Edward's eyes were still hard. "Can I come with you? Emmett's being an oaf." I had to laugh at that. Oaf was a funny word, okay?

Rosalie and Alice nodded. I could tell they were struggling not to look at me. Alice failed. As she closed the door behind us, she threw a wink over her shoulder, smiling. Evil pixie. Just 'cause I like Edward…

Just as Alice plopped herself on her purple bed, the door opened again. Emmett stuck his head in, an apologetic expression on his face. Alice stuck her tongue out at her brother. He came in anyway, shutting the door behind him. "Hey, I'm sorry for laughing at you Bella…but it _was_ funny."

He looked so guilty standing there, shuffling his feet, that I nodded. "It's okay. It was kind of funny…" I lied easily, or so I thought. Rosalie's look told me I was horrible at lieing. Oh, well. I tried.

Emmett sagged with relief, and brightened up. "In that case, I have an idea!" His blue eyes shone. Edward leaned against Alice's closet doors (which were unusually large) "Well, what is it?"

Emmett grinned. "Let's play truth or dare!"

Rosalie twirled a lock of blonde hair, smiling. "Yeah!" she agreed.

Alice wouldn't be put down. She nodded, determined. Edward shrugged, "Sure."

Emmett turned to me, a jet black lock of his hair falling in his face. "Please?"

I smiled, unable to resist that puppy dog face. I really needed to work on that. "Yes, I'll play." Emmett punched the air victory. Alice slid off the bed, daintily sitting down cross-legged. "You know the rules: sit in a circle." she commanded.

Emmett waved his hand in the air, looking solemn. "I'm going first since I thought of it." he declared, and everyone nodded. This seemed fair.

His blue gaze traveled over all of us, slowly…slower…stopping on Rose. "Truth or dare?" he challenged her.

Rosalie looked nervous. A line between her eyebrows I'd never noticed before was sketched out as she frowned. "Um…truth."

Emmett's face fell, but he regained his calculating posture swiftly. "What was the worst thing you've been in trouble for?"

Rosalie turned a shade redder and Alice snickered. "Emmett, don't you think that's kind of hard?" With Rosalie's attitude and somewhat sharp tongue, I could imagine her getting in trouble easily. Edward rolled his emerald eyes. "This should be good."

Rosalie stuttered out her answer, curling her knees up to her chest. "I…I pushed Jasper into the pool when we were three. He was still in his pajamas, and then I lied to mom about it. I said he fell in."

Everyone burst out laughing, including me. Emmett high-fived her, laughing. "Nice one!" She smiled at him shyly. "Okay, your turn." Alice said, recovering from her giggles. I took a breath, stopping my laughter. That was hilarious.

"Edward, truth or dare?"

Ha! Edward now. I wonder what Rosalie would ask him?

"Dare." Edward's green eyes sparkled mischievously. I smiled, turning my chocolate eyes back on Rosalie. She leaned back against the bed, a satisfied smirk on her face. Thoughtful, she stared off into space for a few moments.

"I dare you to eat a sandwich with four ingredients of our choice." she stated, and Emmett cackled. I think he might have fallen over from his laughter, but he his hand shot out and clutched Alice's desk for support.

"That's hilarious," he choked out, and I smiled. Poor Edward…he was frowning, as if regretting his decision of dare. Emmett was sure to make this sandwich gross with a capitol G.

Mental Note: Never pick dare when Rose asks me.

Alice beamed and sprang up. "Let's get cooking!" She grabbed my wrist and bounded out the door. I nearly tripped and had to quickly right myself. Alice pulled me (slower than last time, luckily) down the stairs and across to the kitchen. Emmett was hard on our heels.

Esme was in the kitchen, drying some dishes. "Hello, dears. Do you need anything?" Her eyes were warm as she smiled down at us. I couldn't help but smile back as Alice answered, "No thanks, mom. We just need some food ingredients for Edward's snack."

An evil smile lit her face. She looked like one evil pixie. I resisted a shudder.

Emmett thundered into the kitchen next, blue eyes bright with excitement. "We should use pickles!" he trilled immediately. Alice gasped, which startled me. I whirled around to see her awed face. What?

"Pickles! Perfect." she breathed.

Now…what was the nastiest thing I could think of? "Horseradish."

Alice froze for a moment, half inside the refrigerator. A jar of pickles clutched in her hand, she pivoted on her heels. "Horseradish! Bella, that's brilliant!" she grabbed another container, this one white.

Emmett suddenly slapped my on the back appreciatively. I stumbled forward, catching myself. "Oops, sorry." he apologized sheepishly.

Alice whirled the bread out of the cupboard as Rosalie entered the kitchen. "I told Edward he wasn't allowed to come in the kitchen 'till we were done." she informed us. So that's what took so long.

Emmett paused in his pickle fishing, a lock of black hair falling in his face. He turned to Esme, who was quietly watching by the window, faintly amused. "Mom, when's Jasper going to get here? He could help."

So he'd invited Jasper, too? Alice, Rose, me, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper…that was all of us! I tossed a smile at Alice, and I noticed she was avoiding everyone's gaze. Her brown eyes bore, determined, into the slices of bread she was smearing horseradish on.

"He'll be here in fifteen minutes." Esme promised, ruffling her son's hair. Emmett shied away from her touch, mussing up his hair with his own hands. "Mom, you can't do that anymore! I'm not a baby!"

Esme laughed. "Try and stop me." she declared, stepping out the back door. I assumed she was going to garden. Rosalie yawned and leaned back against the cupboard. A lock of her blonde hair fell in her face.

I brushed some of my brown hair out of my face, going to peek over Alice's shoulder. "How's it coming along?" I asked. She smiled, tucking a black spike behind an ear. "Great! I've got the horseradish and pickles on…what next?"

Emmett waved his hand in the air, saying, "Ooh, ooh! Pick me!" Alice rolled her eyes theatrically and pointed to him. "Yes, Mr. Cullen?"

Satisfied, Emmett's hand fell to his side. "Relish and caviar." he remarked, and Rosalie's face lit up. She laughed, and Alice darted to the fridge once more. Caviar? What was that? I remember Charlie talking about it once…oh, yes! I remember; he told me it was fish eggs.

Oh. Gross…poor Edward!

Alice twirled around and held up the sandwich proudly. It smelled horrible, and I caught Rose holding her nose. Emmett cackled and nodded. "It's perfect!"

Alice held the revolting sandwich as far as she could without dropping it, and began to inch out to the living room. Edward was waiting, lounging on the couch looking bored. Noticing the grimy, half-excuse for a sandwich in Alice's hand, he cringed.

"Rosalie, you're going to regret this." he promised solemnly, sitting up. Alice perched next to him, and I took a seat on his other side. Emmett chose not to sit down (he preffered to bounce in front of Edward) and Rose kept a safe distance in an armchair.

"Eat it! Eat it!" Emmett cheered, encouraging. Edward gently took the sandwich from Alice, and lifted it to his mouth…Oh, poor Edward….closer…closer…

DING-DONG

The doorbell.

Emmett sagged with disappointment. "Aww…you were so close." Alice, however, brightned. "Jasper can watch you eat that, Edward!"

Edward didn't look happy about that. "More witnesses," he moaned. Trying to make him feel better, I spoke up. "It could be worse." My reassuring words didn't have any effect on him, but his emeald eyes swiveled to my face.

Emmett wrenched open the door loudly, to reveal Jasper in the doorway. Emmett waved vigorously. "Hi Jasper!"

Jasper half-waved, a green backpack slung over his shoulder. "Hey, Emmett."

Alice glanced up at him. "You're just in time to see Edward eat a pickle-caviar-horseradish-relish sandwich!" I smiled. That sounded like one sick sandwich. Edward leaped off the couch as Jasper's eyebrows shot up. "You put _what _in this?" Edward yelped, holding the vile sandwich at arm's length.

"Eat it on three." Rosalie demanded, hands on her hips. I had a fleeting though: What if he gets sick from it? No, no, of course not. It was just a bunch of condiments, right? Nothing bad could happen.

Jasper and Emmett sat back down and Alice chanted off the numbers: "One. Two. Three!" she screamed. I leaned forward infinitesimally as Edward slowly brought the sandwich to his mouth…

CRUNCH.

He bit into it.

Everyone's eyes were wide as we watched his face go from varying shades of green. At one point, I could have sworn his cheeks matched his emerald eyes. And then he swallowed, not even bothering the chew.

Would he be sick? I wondered, as his eyes rolled back a bit. He moaned, and his hand fluttered out to brace himself on the back of the couch. He put the rest of the putrid sandwich on the coffee table. We all shied away from it.

Then, his mouth opened slightly, as if he were about to say something. "Rosalie…I….hate…you," he choked out, then fell back against the pillow. Rosalie smiled smugly as everyone laughed. I leaped from my perch to Edward's side.

His eyes were closed, his skin paler than normal. That was saying something of the super-pale white boy. I felt his forhead, brushing back his bronze hair. He felt fine, though he didn't stir when I touched him.

Alice reassured me. "Bella, don't worry. He's fine."

He opened his emerald eyes, and sighed. "Doesn't feel that way to me." Emmett had other ideas than making sure he was okay. Was I the only one worrying? "Hey Edward, it's your turn to ask someone truth or dare!"

Could he think of a good question or dare? I hope so. I wonder who he'll choose…"Alice, truth or dare?" he croaked. Alice beamed. "Dare!" she responded immediately. I think everyone knew she'd choose that.

"I dare you to lick the bottom of Jasper's shoe."

Alice's mouth fell open with a pop, and I'm sure mine did, too. That was an awesome dare! Poor Alice, who knows where those shoes have been? Jasper's eyes widened, and I caught him mouthing to Emmett, 'Uh-oh.'

Oh, no. How could Edward be so cruel to his only sister? It was beyond me.

Cackling, Emmett beckoned to Jasper. "Come on, take off your shoe!" I curled my knees up against my chest on the couch, glancing at Alice. She was scowling at Edward. Jasper slowly, an apologetic look on his face, took off his right shoe.

Alice composed her face, taking a deep breath. Sticking her pale hand out, she closed her eyes and said, "Hand it over." I admired her bravery. Jasper plopped his black shoe in Alice's tiny hand.

I caught Edward's triumphant, content smile. His green eyes twinkled mischievously, and I found my cheeks warming. Ripping my gaze from the dreamy Edward, I returned to watching Alice.

She didn't hesitate. Her pink tongue met the bottom of the black shoe in harmony. Her brown eyes were shut tight as she dropped the shoe. Shuddering, she opened her eyes. "Gross!" Jasper avoided all our glances, his green eyes fixed on the roof.

Alice was probably the only girl I knew with enough spunk to do that. Rosalie, I knew, would refuse vigorously. I was a bit too healthy to do that…

She took a deep breath, smoothing her face once more. Tucking a black spike behind her ear, fire returned to her gaze. "Let's go back upstairs for my turn." she suggested in a voice that no one would argue with.

Emmett bounded up and was gone from my sight in an instant. Rosalie picked herself up neatly off the couch, brushing invisible dust off her pants. Alice twirled upstairs, a thoughtful expression on her face. Jasper followed her, carrying his shoe.

I stood up, carefully moving around the coffee table. I didn't want to fall. Edward stood up, too, and helped me to the stairs. I blushed. Did my klutzy-ness show that much? He smiled, a small smile. "Ladies first." he held out his hand to the stairs, and I took them one at a time. "Thanks."

We reached Alice's purple and green room to find things the same way as when we left for Edward's dare, the only difference being Jasper was here now.

I sat cross-legged across from Alice. She was hanging upside down off the side of her bed, Rose perched next to her once more. Alice's brown eyes zeroed in on me. "Bella, truth or dare?"

I flushed. "Uh…" I didn't want to break and say truth. What could top that sandwich and shoe, anyway? "Dare."

Rosalie sighed and shook her head. "If you have learned anything, Bella, then I would have thought it was not to mess with Alice." she ran a hand through her blonde hair, as if already accepting my defeat. Alice cackled. "You didn't want to say that."

"I dare you to…" she began, her voice low and ominous. "…let me dress you up and put make up on you for fifteen minutes, then walk down the hallway like it's a catwalk!" she trilled, voice raising with excitement at the end. She clapped her hands together, still upside down.

Aw, no, Alice! Not a make over…she had no idea how evil she was right now. I glared daggers at her and crossed my arms. "Alright." I mumbled. "Fifteen minutes only! Edward, can you time her?"

Edward nodded, smiling. Relieved, I let Alice pull me into her walk-in closet. Honestly, I thought I would get lost in there. Racks upon racks of clothes lined the walls, smashed together so that only a person as tiny as Alice could reach them all.

Reach them all she did, as she instructed me to stand still. "I'll be right back." she promised, a twinkle in her eye I had never seen before. I glanced solemnly at myself in the giant mirror she had bolted to the wall across from me, waiting for her return.

Rosalie poked her head in, glancing at me sympathetically. "Twelve more minutes, Alice!" the blonde yelled, and shut the closet door once more.

There were lights in here…a closet! It could pass for a small store. I had never seen so many clothes. I noticed my chocolate eyes were as big as saucers in the mirror.

"I'm back." Alice announced, the pixie bounding back into the clearing that was free of clothes. I took one look at the pretty, expensive looking yellow dress and shook my head. "No way." Alice wouldn't take it, of course.

"I dared you!" she accused, knowing she would win and not even bothering to contribute to the argument. She had me into that cute yellow dress faster than I could say, "Please, no!" one more time. Fishing into a drawer that could fit her, she scurried back with two items as evil as I could imagine.

Two pointy-toed, yellow heel shoes.

I stared at them in horror as my black-haired best friend shoved them delicately on my feet. Did she not know me?? I would fall over before I took two steps! "Alice!" I begged, knowing inside she wouldn't change her mind.

"Oh lighten up, Bella!" she chided, sweeping back to me with a variety of make-up. I saw Rosalie step in once more, her eyes widening slightly when she saw me. "Seven minutes. Bella, you look very nice."

I half-smiled and said, "Thanks, Rose." I had refused to look in the mirror since Alice yanked this dress on me, and I wasn't about to turn around.

I heard Alice mutter something about, "Should have dared her for twenty minutes. I'll have to rush the mascara." What? Mascara? Did I even know what that was? My question was answered when Alice held up a black container. Whipping the tiny brush out, I tried not to cringe.

It was over before I could blink, however, and Alice was smiling triumphantly. "Blush!" she crowed, reaching for another item of doom. She patted only a tiny bit on, declaring, "You don't need much blush; you probably _invented_ blush!"

I felt my cheeks heat up at that comment, but I couldn't help it! Alice smeared a bit of lipstick on me, in which I squirmed a bit. I hated make-up as much as I hated dressing up. It was just so unnecessary!

Rosalie came in again, her blonde hair cascading behind her in a wave. Blue eyes wide, she surveyed me. "Time's up." Alice's brown eyes flashed triumphantly as her hands fluttered about my hair with her brush, combing out the last non-existent tangles.

"Perfect!" she declared, leading me out of her horrible closet. _I'm scarred for life, _I thought, only half-joking.

She instructed me how to walk on a catwalk: "Just look and act confident. Trust me Bella, you can do this." Rosalie nodded encouragingly before she disappeared, presumably down the hallway.

The hallway I was supposed to walk down wearing a dress, make-up, and high heel shoes.

I really hope I live to tell the tale…

Alice gently pushed me forward, and I stumbled slowly down the hard wood hallway. I tried to hobble as little as I could, but it was hard in these shoes. _Why, Alice? _I wailed in my head, cheeks aflame. _Cause she's Alice… _A defeated voice inside me spoke up.

I emerged from the hallway into the Cullen's bright living room with what I'm sure to be cherry-red cheeks. I heard Alice's quiet squeal, and I flushed harder. For a moment, I just stood there. Then I caught Edward's eye.

His eyes were wide. "You look different, Bella."

Was that bad? Noticing my anxiety, Jasper elbowed Edward in the ribs. He cringed, stumbling out the words in a rush. "I mean, a good different. You look good."

I managed a small smile before Rosalie waved her hand at me in a flourish. "Take a bow!" I hurriedly did so, knowing my movements were probably flustered. This was so embarrassing. I quickly walked back down the hall and out of their sight.

Alice bounded after me, pride beaming from her like she was a skylight. "Oh, Bella, you looked great!" she told me, throwing her small arms around me in a hug. I half-smiled, still not over the embarrasment.

Alice had medressed in my regular clothes in a heartbeat, gently smearing off the make-up so there wasn't a trace of it. "You're too good at this stuff." I told her. She shrugged. "Fashion's my passsion."

As we walked back out into Alice's room, a shout went up. "It's you turn, Bella!" Emmett reminded me. Oh, yeah. Great…who should I choose?

My gaze swept over the circle of my friends, debating. My eyes landed on bronze-haired, green eyes Edward. Of course. Well, why not? "Edward, truth or dare?"

He smiled, answering immediately. "Dare." I saw Emmett lean forward from the corner of my eye. Uh…what should I dare him? My mind went blank. Uh-oh. Now what?? Everyone was staring at me, waiting…

I blurted out the first thing that came out: "I dare you to stay up all night tonight."

Emmett burst into a huge, "Woohoo!" Rosalie's eyes widened as she glanced at Edward, while Alice high-fived me. Jasper's eyebrows had shot up, and now he full-blown grinned at Edward.

Edward was staring at me with only an expression that I could describe as flabbergasted. He probably didn't expect me to come up with something so…evil. I hadn't expected it, either, to be honest. I smiled at their approval.

Edward tried to shrug it off, but I could see his underlying horror. I assumed Edward was one of those 'early to bed, early to rise' people. Not me; I was a night owl.

He had a long night ahead of him.

Emmett jumped up, an idea sparked on his face. "If you fall asleep, you should suffer another dare from Bella!" he commanded, and everyone cheered. Except for Edward, of course. I nodded, having an idea slip into mind.

"If you fall asleep, you have to dress up like a clown tomorrow for school!" I exclaimed. The look on his face was so sorrowful I almost took it back. His emerald green eyes were heart-breaking! My heart stuttered horribly once more.

Alice burst out laughing, her face turning a shade darker from her uncontrollable mirth. "Edward…you're going to fall asleep." she cackled, almost falling off her seat on the bed. Edward looked defeated already, like he knew it was unchangeable. Rosalie and Emmett went, "Ooooh!" at the exact same time.

Once again, I was puzzled. How did Alice know that, and why did Edward trust her prediction so much? Like he knew it himself…this was getting a little strange. "How did you know that, Alice?" I piped up, crossing my legs.

Everyone quieted. Two pairs of green eyes, two pairs of blue eyes, and one pair of brown eyes stared nervously back at me. "Just a guess." Alice trilled, a little too high-pitched. My suspicion was gone immediately, replaced by trust. Duh. Of course it had been a guess!

I flushed at my mistake. "Oh, duh." I squeaked out. Everyone seemed to thaw out slightly, and Emmett's shoulders sagged…with what looked like relief. Doubt in myself pricked me. I was just seeing things, imagining.

"Edward, your turn." Jasper reminded him quickly, another of his unruly curls falling in his face. Edward smiled, relieve etched into his face. His emerald eyes swiveled to Jasper's face once more, that twinkle in his eyes.

"Jasper."

"Dare."

My eyes slid to Alice's face. To my surprise, she was looking a bit annoyed. Why? Nothing had gone wrong….at least not that I could see. Edward had that contemplating look on his face, the thoughtful look.

I had to resist a dreamy sigh. _Ugh, what is wrong with me? _I thought sadly. I'd heard my dad talk about love, but come on! I was five and three quarters. I know Charlie wouldn't approve of me _falling in love._

"I dare you to let Emmett and I do anything we want to your hair for 15 minutes." Edward sat up straight as Jasper's hand flew instinctively to his blonde curls. "My hair?" he asked in disbelief. Emmett rubbed his hands together, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

Alice smiled tolerantly. "They're bad, Jazz. Watch out." Rosalie snickered, trying to muffle it with her hand and failing. I shook my head at their craziness.

Emmett leaped back up, grabbing Jasper's wrist and dragging him out the door. Edward bounded after them, calling back, "Alice, time us!"

Alice's face was sympathetic. "Poor Jasper." she bounced off the bed to sit next to me on the spotless white carpet. Rosalie, on my other side, leaned back against the dresser. "This is fun," she remarked, blue eyes lazily drifting around. Alice nodded.

We heard a yell from down the hall, and looked at each other. _What was that? _By the expressions on their face I could tell they were thinking the same thing. As I watched Alice, I noticed her face go completely blank. Her twinkling brown eyes were flat and lifeless…

"Alice?" I asked, confused. Rosalie's blue eyes snapped up, recognition dawning on her face. Alice didn't respond. "Rose, what's wrong with her?" I asked, a little scared. My hand fluttered out to Alice's tiny shoulder. I gently shook her.

"Alice, earth to Alice!"

She straightened up, eyes clearing into what looked like a mixed, lingering expression of horror and humor. Seeing my worried face, she sputtered, "Oh, sorry. I must have been day dreaming…what did you say?"

I _knew_ she hadn't been just day dreaming. Something was going on…something big. "Nothing," I mumbled, making a silent pledge. I would find out what held Alice in such a trance eventually. What if she had a disease? Could she die?

I blanked out that thought angrily. Ever since that car nearly hit me, I'd been hyperaware of everyone's medical state.

Rosalie glanced at the clock on the wall. "Time's up. I'll tell them." She sailed gracefully out the door, leaving Alice and I sitting next to each other. I said the obvious next thing. "Alice, I know you weren't day dreaming. What really happened?"

Alice's brown eyes darkened, to almost match her jet-black hair. "I _was_ just day dreaming…about shopping! I love shopping, you know."

I bit back an angry response, instead shifting to face her straight on. "Is anything wrong?"

Her face smoothed, and she shook her head rapidly. "Of course not. Don't worry, Bella." She smiled at me reassuringly, her pure white teeth sparkling.

Rosalie bounded back into the room, her eyes wide and a smile on her face. "They're coming!" she announced, plopping herself down neatly beside me, pausing to smooth her hair. I watched the open white door expectantly…

I could hear Emmett stomping from half-way down the hall. Edward's musical laugh filled the air as they got closer…

Emmett appeared in the door way first, his black, curly hair mussed with. His blue eyes unnaturally bright, he spoke, holding an invisible microphone. "Ladies and gentleman." Rosalie repressed a giggle. "I present to you….the new Jasper Hale!" he boomed, stepping aside.

Edward pulled in what seemed like a shell-shocked Jasper. His hair…oh, no.

His blonde curls were gone. In place of it was a head of half-straightened, rainbow, glittery hair. Edward and Emmett had obviously used hair color products of a wide variety…maybe that spray stuff clowns use. I assumed they had just poured glitter over it and hairsprayed it down.

Then I noticed the pink, fluffy bow, neatly pinned to the top of his head.

Everyone else was in hysterics already, but the bow pushed me overboard. I burst out laughing, my rib cage pricking me, irritated. Just as my eyes were starting to water, Alice pulled out a camera. Knowing her, she'd probably stick them online.

_Snap._

Mortified Jasper with redesigned hair. Cackling Emmett. Proud Edward, bronze hair glittering. Rosalie full-blown grinning, saying how she "didn't have a twin anymore." Me, eyes watering slightly from laughing hard.

Eventually, all of our giggles faded. Jasper's hand slowly crept up to his head, green eyes locked upward. Failing to see his demolished hair, Alice handed him the camera to see what he looked like.

A thunderstruck expression stormed across his face. He glared ice-cold daggers up at Edward and Emmett, who were high-fiving each other. Rosalie giggled again, and Jasper looked at the camera again, staring at his hair. Staring at it, I felt a little mad at Emmett and Edward.

I mean, they had known him forever. Couldn't they have gone a _little_ easier on him? I didn't know where the irritation had come from, but I was definitely annoyed. Then, Jasper started to laugh.

He almost fell over, handing the camera back to Alice as he was racked with laughter. The whole room ended up joining in, my anger gone. Strange, but I brushed it off once more.

"Kids, dinner!" Esme's voice startled me. Emmett was out the door faster than if she had called, "The house is on fire!" If that were the case, however, I think Alice would have been out faster. She was terrified of fire….something I didn't understand.

I walked self-consciously down the stairs behind everyone else. Up ahead, I heard Edward mutter, "I'm not hungry." I wouldn't be either after that gnarly sandwich we made him eat.

The Cullens had a huge dining table. I counted, and it seated ten people. The wood it was made of was dark, and the chairs that matched it were huge.

The table was already set, and we chose our spots easily. I sat next to Alice and Edward, Esme on the edge and Carlisle next to her. Rosalie was on Alice's other side, and Jasper and Emmett took seats across from us.

Esme and Carlisle noticed Jasper's hair…and made no comment. They just smiled and shot each other do-you-see-that? looks.

"Alright, let's eat." Carlisle announced, and Emmett's look of triumph made me smile. Then, I noticed what was on the table. Steaming pots of mashed potatoes, cups overflowing with gravy, and a stick of slightly melted butter. A huge bowl filled with lettuce, radishes, cheese cubes, ham, and hard-boiled eggs with a side of ranch. To top it all off, a large pan of lasagna steamed on the table.

That was a lot of food.

I blinked a couple of times, then shrugged it off. Everything else about them was spectacular, so why not the food?

***

After dinner we all grouped up in Alice's room once more. "Now what do you want to do?" Rosalie asked idly, twirling a lock of hair in her fingers. Everyone gave various poses of indesicion:

Alice shrugged, Edward muttered, "I don't know.", Emmett said, "Umm…" and never fully responded. Jasper shook his head, not having an idea. Alice's brown eyes turned to me. "Bella?"

Hmmm…

Oh! I had an idea!!

"We can play Would You Rather?" I suggested, and Alice brightened. "Great idea, Bella!" she nodded, and everyone else seemed to agree. So we started.

Emmett bounced, his hand flying up. "Can I go first?" his blue eyes wide with excitement. Alice nodded. He launched into his question without another pause: "Would you rather drink blood or chew on bones like a dog?"

Rosalie made a face. "Drink blood."

Alice giggled, which I didn't get. I made no comment, however. "Drink blood."

Jasper tilted his head thoughtfully. "Drink blood."

Edward's response was confident and quick, a smile on his face. "Blood." The smile turned into a full-blown grin, his emerald eyes twinkling along with his merriment.

"Chew bones." I said, blushing. "I'd get sick if I drank blood." It was true, I hated the sight/smell of blood. It just crept into my brain and made everything go fuzzy and feel all wrong.

Alice nodded, her black hair half-crumpled because she was laying on her side on her bed, her hand propping her head up. "That makes sense." she allowed. Edward nodded vigorously. "Of course."

It was Rosalie's turn.

"Would you rather…tell someone you liked them and have them not like you…or not tell them and go through life wondering?" Rosalie asked, blue eyes smug. Of course Rose would bring that into the conversation.

Emmett shrugged, apparently stumped. "I dunno, what's the difference?" I almost laughed at the expression on Alice and Rose's face. I couldn't contain my smile. Emmett would grow up to be real romantic, I could tell. Right.

Alice rolled her eye at her brother and responded, "Of _course_ I'd tell them. I wouldn't have to wonder, though." She smiled at that, and Edward muttered, "Of course." Alice grinned cheekily.

Jasper flushed and murmured, "Not tell." He was much too shy to do that, I understood. I could see Rosalie's pretty smile widen slightly.

Edward's answer was the same, though he didn't seem bothered by it. "Not tell, of course." He leaned back, completely relaxed. I couldn't help wondering why the bronze haired boy beside me would rather keep his secrets in. What could he lose by spilling?

"I wouldn't tell." I confirmed. Alice remarked solemnly: "The room is divided."

It was Alice's turn. "Would you rather know your past or future?" she asked, and Edward rolled his brilliant green eyes, smiling good-naturedly.

Jasper was first to answer. A haunted look in his eyes, he quickly muttered, "Future." Everyone seemed to understand, except me. I got the wanting to know your future, but why did he look…almost _scared_?

"Future." Edward replied easily. I nodded, my brunette hair falling in my face. I brushed it behind my ear, saying, "Future."

Emmett scoffed, his answer apparently obvious. "Future, duh. What else would you pick?" his voice challenged Alice's question, and she glared at him. Rosalie's face held some of the horror that Jasper had shown, but only a glimpse. A fleeting moment of fear, then gone.

"Future." she replied hurriedly.

Alice shrugged. "I'd choose past." her shoulders went up, as if expecting a rebuke. Edward ran a hand through his bronze hair. "Of course you would, Alice."

I let that pass, but narrowed my eyes. I would find out what all this meant…someday.

Jasper's turn. "Would you rather…live forever a demon or die young an angel?" Wow. Deep question, very deep. Edward answered first: "Die young an angel." He already was an angel, he should have picked live forever a demon. Him, evil in any way, was impossible.

My turn.

"Live forever a demon." It didn't sound too bad. I mean, we could find a way to make it better, not so bad…right? Or would I be completely outnumbered?

"Live forever, totally!" Emmett nodded vigorously, like it was obvious. I felt a bit better knowing someone agreed with me. Rosalie's answer was confident, her blue eyes looking at us like we were idiots. "Die young an angel." That was Rose.

Alice contemplated. Her face screwed up and her eyes staring off into space, she answered. "Live forever a demon, because 'demon' is a loose word. We could be demons from only one point of view."

Good point, Alice! I smiled.

Edward's turn to ask a question…I folded my hands while he thought. Jasper yawned, and I glanced at the clock. 6:00. Two hours until Charlie usually sends me to bed…four hours until I usually fall asleep.

"Would you rather not have to sleep or not have to eat?" Oh, that was easy! "Not sleep!" I hardly slept anyway, so there wouldn't be much of a difference. Edward nodded, like he agreed with me.

Emmett's answer was obvious. "Not sleep, are you kidding me! I couldn't go without eating." he shook his head, messing up his black hair. Rosalie pursed her lips. "Not eat. Sleeping is so…regular. Human."

Alice was next. "Not sleep." She offered no explanation why, her answer short.

I had to resist another snicker when I got a good look at Jasper's hair again. The bow was falling off, but the glitter still sparkled. He frowned at me, as if knowing my mirth was barely contained. "Not eat…no more dealing with hunger."

Oh, no. Now it was _my _turn to ask a question! Ummm…. "Would you rather know what's coming for you or be haunted by an unknown force?"

Emmett wrinkled his nose. "Unknown force! Then I could add another name to the list of people I've beaten," he said, flashing a smile. Rosalie rolled her eyes, leaning back against Alice's bed. "The enemy you know, because the unknown is the scariest thing."

Alice shrugged, "I guess the one you don't know, 'cause then you could at least look at the bright side and think it won't be so bad."

Jasper's answer was quick: "The enemy you don't know. That's more exciting."

Edward took a moment, green eyes glazed over as he was lost in thought. "The enemy you know; although that's scary enough, the unknown is creepy."

Sensible answer. I didn't know what I'd pick…probably the enemy you know. Did I have any enemies? I thought about it and realized that no, no one disliked me enough to be my enemy. As far as I knew, no one disliked me at all.

Alice leaped off the bed, landing as silent as a sleek jungle cat. "Now what?" she inquired curiously, head tilted to the side a bit. The clock said 6:10.

I didn't have any ideas. Rosalie did! "We could watch a movie." she suggested. I nodded vigorously, cheered by this brilliant idea. Jasper and Edward nodded, brightening, and Emmett sprang up. "Let's go!" he announced, twirling out the door and disappearing into the hallway.

Everyone trickled out after him, and Alice and I were the last ones out. She had a small smile on her face, and she looked more content than I'd ever seen her. "Deciding on a movie will take forever." she informed me casually, grin widening.

"I bet you already know what we're watching." The words spilled out, and Alice's eyes widened. Her huge brown eyes glanced at me once nervously, then back forward as we walked down the hallway. "No," she said, and I knew she was telling the truth.

But that moment of nervousness…she knew I was catching on to her 'secret'. Alice just always seemed to know things. Where we were going, who would be there, what the outcome would be, everything! I'll bet if I asked her, she'd know when the world ended!

When we reached her living room, Alice led me across the floor to another door. It was open, and I could hear people talking inside. We slipped in, and I gasped.

A huge, flat-screen T.V. rested on one wall. Across from it was a humongous, squishy couch. In the corner were racks upon racks of movies. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Edward were gathered around these racks.

Alice danced over to join them, a wide smile on her face. I followed, trying not to be distracted by the room that I thought only existed in movies. Carlisle and Esme much be _rich! _

Emmett brushed a black strand of hair out of his face. "How 'bout this one?" He held up some movie that read 'Lndlano Gones.' Oops! I read that wrong! (You can't blame me, I'm only in kindergarten!) It really said 'Indiana Jones.' Didn't make any difference to me; I didn't know who he was.

Rosalie shook her head, blonde locks swishing as she clutched a totally different movie. Her constricting arms hid the title from me, but I saw lots of pink. "This one's the best." she declared, blue eyes sincere.

Edward was holding a classic: Mary Poppins. I'd seen that before! I watched it with Charlie last year for my birthday! My favorite part was when they started singing '.' Sub-consciously, I began humming it as Edward said, "I vote Mary Poppins."

Jasper was looking at the pictures of what seemed to be an old western movie. His green eyes looked so absorbed I was surprised when he spoke, "We should watch this."

Alice giggled and pulled a movie off the shelf, like she had memorized it's place. Edward rolled his eyes when he caught sight of the movie, but I couldn't help smiling. _Alice in Wonderland. _Of course Alice would choose that.

"So what are we going to watch?" I asked, looking at the five of them with their completely different movies. They stared at me blankly for a moment, then Emmett piped up: "Indiana Jones, of course."

"No, let's watch Mary Poppins!"

"That's such a girly movie."

"It _is_ a classic."

"We're watching Sleeping Beauty."

"That's even _more _girly!"

"Alice in Wonderland isn't!"

"Shut up, Alice!"

"Hey! _You_ shut up!"

Alice tackled Emmett, sending him flying into the couch. It was lucky that the tan couch was squishy and soft, because they both ended up hitting their heads on it. I smacked my forehead with my palm, amused, annoyed and concerned all at the same time.

"How about we watch The Princess Bride?" I suggested.

Alice froze while she was pinning down Emmett, smiling brilliantly. "Finally Bella!" She leaped up daintily and brushed off her pants. Jumping off the couch, she plucked the movie off the racks.

"What's The Princess Bride?" Jasper asked curiously, and Emmett sat up looking disoriented. Rosalie rolled her blue eyes at her brother. "Only the best movie ever. You haven't seen it?" He shook his head, and I resisted a giggle as the pink bow from his dare almost fell off. His hair was still rainbow colored, glittery, and half-flattened.

Edward nodded. "I like that movie."

Without further ado, Alice plunked the disc into an inconspicuous drawer. "Let the movie begin!" she announced, twirling herself onto the couch. Everyone assembled positions on the large soft couch, all six of us fitting easily.

(Apparently the couch was harder than I thought, because halfway through the movie Emmett looked up and asked, "What are we watching?")

***

THE END.

The words flashed across the screen, and I blinked. Looking around the now dark room, I was surprised to find Alice asleep beside me. Hadn't she been giggling at the screen only moments ago? Squinting past her in the dark, I made out Jasper, who's green eyes were shut. Emmett, who's head lolled to the side. Rosalie, who fell asleep with her head resting on her hand.

Glancing on my other side, I was relieved to find Edward still awake. "Is everyone else asleep?" he whispered, green eyes reflecting the credits rolling across the screen. I nodded. Then I remembered Edward's dare: He had to stay up all night!

"What time is it?" I whispered. He shrugged, then got up to check.

Edward managed to find a digital clock, and came back with it. Sheepishly glancing at me, he murmured, "I was hoping you could tell…I don't know how to read time."

I nodded. My mother had taught me a long time ago. Taking the small clock, I read it aloud: "8:53." Edward's eyes rounded. "That's past my bedtime." he said, smiling. _Mine too, but that doesn't matter to me. _I thought. I never fell asleep before ten anyways.

Edward rubbed his eyes, as if reading my thoughts. "I can't believe I have to stay up _all night." _He groaned, and I patted him on the shoulder. "I'll stay up with you, if you like."

Edward's green eyes warmed, and he smiled. "Thanks, Bella."

My heart did another flip-flop as I blushed, glad he couldn't see the spreading red in my cheeks. "No problem."

**

When I woke up in the morning, everything was silent.

I was still curled on the couch, the alarm clock abandoned beside me. It read 6:40. I'd been asleep for a little more than four hours…glancing around, I took in the dimly lit room.

Rosalie had nearly fallen off the couch, Emmett was hanging off upside-down, Jasper hadn't moved and was still as a statue, and Alice nearly had her head buried between the couch cushions. Next to me, Edward looked blissfully peaceful as he dreamed away.

My first thought was _Oh, no. Edward fell asleep! _My second thought was more of an idea to save my friend from having to wear a clown suit to school. _If I wake him up now, no one will know he was asleep._

Hurriedly, I shook Edward's arm. He didn't stir. Frowning, I shook him harder, whispering, "Edward!" Wake up! His bronze hair fell in his face, but he didn't wake up. Sighing, I knew he'd be mad at me for this…but it was the only way.

Wincing, I quickly licked my finger and stuck it in his ear. Wet willy! He jerked up, green eyes half-open. "What?" he mumbled, not coherent. I inconspicuously wiped my finger on my pants. "Edward," I whispered. "You fell asleep."

His sparkling eyes landed on me as he moaned. "Oh, no."

His thoughts were probably the same as mine: Clown suit. I shook my head. "No one else is awake yet. You can pretend like you didn't fall asleep at all!" I explained, excited. Catching on, Edward smiled at me, and I smiled back. "Genius. No one will know!"

"Except me."

I whipped around, surprised, almost falling off the couch in the process. Alice was staring at us, eyes twinkling merrily. A mischievous smile curled up her lips. Edward buried his face in his hands. "Alice, don't do this!" I pleaded.

She shot me an 'are-you-kidding?' look, her hair completely messed up from it's normal spikes. Unable to contain her excitement, she shot us a dazzling white smile and began shaking Jasper awake. He jolted immediately, the opposite of Edward.

"What happened?" he murmured, drowsy. Alice's voice shot up a couple octaves: "Edward fell asleep!" she giggled. Edward sighed behind me, and I shot him a sympathetic glance. Jasper shook his head at Edward, smiling. "Sorry, man."

Alice poked Rose in the stomach. The blonde opened her blue eyes lazily, focusing first on Alice's face filling up her vision. I laughed as Rose scowled. "What?" she hissed crankily. Alice bounced up and down. "Edward fell asleep!" she chanted.

Rosalie shrugged and curled back up, yawning. Alice jumped off the couch and paused, staring at her brother. Emmett was hanging off the couch upside down, his hair a complete mess and going everywhere. Alice flicked him between the eyes.

Emmett shot up, yelling, "I didn't do it!" In his shock, he twisted around and fell right off the couch. "Oof!" Alice burst out laughing, as did everyone else. Even Edward snickered. I shook my head as he sprang up, stumbling. "What is it?"

Alice explained through peals of laughter: "Edward fell asleep last night."

Emmett surprised me by punching the air, a feat I would have thought his drowsiness prevented him from doing. Cackling, he rounded on Edward. "Are you ready for school, dearest brother? I hope you hadn't planned on wearing anything special today!"

Edward scowled.

Just then, Esme cracked open the door. "Time to get ready," she announced, caramel hair falling in perfect locks over her shoulders. She shut the door again, and it turned out there was a bathroom next door to this room. Alice threw open the door and sprinted inside the huge bathroom.

"Wow," I breathed, amazed by this gigantic room as much as I had been about…well, the whole house, really. A huge tub sat in the corner, while the separate shower looked more like an added room. The sink was wide enough for all six of us to wash our hands at once (if Alice could reach, that is.).

Mental Note: The Cullens had an awesome _everything._

Edward and I had run out of things to do last night, so we had dragged up everybody's toothbrushes and toothpaste from upstairs. We'd taken one at a time, half to figure out who's was who and to waste time before morning.

Alice plucked up her purple toothbrush, smearing the toothpaste on it messily. Giggling, she ran it under the water and started scrubbing her teeth. Rose followed suite with her red toothbrush, and Edward with his silver one.

Emmett managed to accidentally squirt the toothpaste onto the shiny floor, all over the sink, and our feet. Laughing, he finally managed to slap some on his toothbrush. Smirking, he handed the half-empty tube to Jasper.

I almost started laughing when Jasper dropped it like it burned him. It landed on Rose's foot and she glared at him. His green eyes were glued to the mirror, horror pasted on his face. Emmett cackled and Edward rolled his eyes.

Jasper's hair was worse off than it had been last night. The remaining curls had been squashed so now they almost matched the other, half-straightened side. Not to mention I think the glitter multiplied overnight and the rainbow colors got darker…

I had assumed Alice was daydreaming when she faded off, but she resurfaced laughing. "I'm so sorry Jazz," she choked out through barely concealed laughter. "That stuff won't come off."

"What?!" he yelled, carefully stroking a strand of his blonde hair. His eyes fell and he brushed his teeth in a sulk. I used my awesome, sunny-yellow toothbrush. It was my favorite because of the color, of course.

"Time to get you dressed for school, Eddie!" Alice sang, latching onto Edward's arm and dragging him out of sight. His sour look made me sympathetic; I wouldn't want to be subjected to a make-over by Alice!

"C'mon Bella, let's get dressed." Rosalie led me back to Alice's room, her blue eyes sparkling. Apparently she was over her early-morning crankiness. She began rooting through my bag immediately, looking for what my dad packed.

She pulled out a yellow blouse and dark jeans. "Your dad must have style." she commented, looking satisfied. In the blink of an eye, she had it on me and was dressed herself, in a deep red, v-cut t-shirt and a white skirt.

Alice poked her head in the doorway, giggling like mad. Her hair was brushed down and a purple jacket peeped out from behind the door. "You guys've got to see Edward!" She beckoned us out, so I grabbed my back-pack and followed Rose.

Edward was standing in the middle of the hallway, Emmett having hysterics beside him and Jasper chuckling at his friend.

A huge, rainbow colored afro stuck on his head, and a fat red nose looked taped into place. White face make-up was smeared all over him, red circles painted delicately around his green eyes. A red painted smile curved his lips up, though he looked anything but happy.

He was wearing humongous red shoes that looked ten sizes too big, and blue overalls with a skin-tight orange shirt on underneath. Edward glared at us all, green eyes flashing. Alice looked so proud of her work, I couldn't help but laugh.

How did Alice do all this in such a short time?

"Kids, time for-" Esme broke off as she caught sight of Edward. "Oh, my. What happened?" she asked, looking concerned. I barely heard Edward's mutter: "I lost a bet."

Esme shook her head, but smiled a bit, too.

She twirled her keys, leading us out the front door like a parade, Edward in the back, hesitating. Jasper was wearing one of Emmett's hats to cover his extravagant hair, but poor Edward couldn't do anything to hide his clown-ness.

I'm surprised we all fit in the car! Emmett called shot-gun, while Alice was forced to sit in the middle booster seat because of her tiny size. I sat next to her, Rose on her other side. Jasper and Edward hid in the back, both fussing silently over their hair.

Alice couldn't help bouncing in her seat, humming some merry tune I'd never heard before. She was excited, for what I didn't know. I didn't really _want_ to know, actually.

Esme dropped us off right where we line up for kindergarten, since it was near the road. Emmett waved as he catapulted himself from the seat to the ground, almost crashing into the fence. He just laughed and shook his black hair out of his face. Rosalie followed suite, Alice bouncing out behind her.

I got out cautiously and slowly, the dizzying drop between the car and the ground seeming farther away then ever. Try as I may, I still fell over my own tennis shoes, which Rose had miraculously let me wear. Alice caught me, and I could feel my cheeks blaze up.

"Thanks," I murmured, catching my balance and righting myself again. Alice shot me a stunning, pure-white smile as Jasper jumped out, tucking a stray lock of rainbow glittery hair in his hat.

We all waited for Edward, Emmett holding back snickers.

He finally appeared, green eyes ice cold and hard. He had no trouble getting out, even with his giant clown shoes. He slammed the door and huffed his way past our snickering huddle. Esme waved and drove off.

We lined up with the rest of the class, and I think Alice would've liked to tape their reactions:

Mike was on the floor laughing, his neat blonde hair looking nothing like Edward's afro. Tears were actually streaming out of his eyes as he laughed too loudly…almost obnoxiously.

Jessica was just staring, horrified, at Edward. I personally didn't get why; _Edward _was the horrified one. Angela was glancing at him with a sympathetic look in her eyes, hiding her giggles for is benefit.

Jacob was laughing, but not nearly as loud as Mike. "Good one," he chuckled, dark eyes glued on Edward's ridiculous outfit. Angela and him didn't seem so bad…

Mental Note: Don't wear a clown suit to school.

***

A few weeks later…

Halloween! One of my favorite holidays, and I was spending it with the Cullens and the Hales. We were going to have _so _much fun.

We were waiting for Carlisle to finish getting dressed, all standing in a loose circle, admiring each-other's costumes.

Alice, next to me, was a pretty fairy. Shimmering, purple wings were taped to her back, while she wore a matching skirt and blouse. A wand rested in her hand, which she claimed helped her 'see the future'.

Rosalie, on the other side of me, was a princess. She wore a long, red dress and a sparkling gem tiara. Her lipstick and mascara made her eyes pop and she looked _so _pretty, I couldn't help but smile.

Emmett, next to Rosalie, was a professional football player. He had black lines painted under his eyes, and the jersey he wore was black and silver. I had no idea what team it was, though I bet my father did. He carried a football loosely in one hand.

Jasper, next to Alice, was a soldier. He was wearing all army print, with a matching hat. I think he glued the stars on, but I'm not sure. They looked like real army stars to me. He even had his name on the jacket: Jasper Hale.

Lastly, there was Edward standing across from me. He was a vampire! He wore a long black cloak that nearly touched the floor, and fake vampire fangs. Alice had even helped him dust on grey-purple circles under his eyes, which made him look even more like the undead.

Esme was standing off to the side, smiling down at us. She was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, holding a bouquet of roses and daisies. I caught a few lilies poking out, too.

Finally, Carlisle emerged from the hallway. He was dressed as a doctor, with a white coat. His official name-tag thing he wore to work was even perched carefully over his pocket. He looked very official, hazel eyes twinkling.

"Let's go!" Emmett pleaded, looking as if he could hardly contain his excitement, bouncing slightly. Esme put a hand gently on his head, answering, "We're leaving right now, honey."

First, we would drive down to the school, where the rest of our class was supposed to meet at 6:30. Then Miss Jaime and some of our parents were going to take us down some streets trick-or-treating! I thought it was a great plan…except for the part about my dad signing up to be a chaperone. He was meeting us there with everyone else.

Charlie was dressing up as a police officer. He was already the police chief…like Carlisle dressing up as a doctor. I liked the idea, but there was no spontaneity! I mean, I was a full-out pirate! I had an eye patch, big boots, the ruffled shirt and everything!

Carlisle led the way outside, and took the driver's seat. We sat in almost the same seats as the day with Edward's clown suit…only Emmett sat in the back with Jasper and Edward now instead of up front. Alice had to lean forward for her wings not to be crushed against the back of the seat.

Everyone was impatient.

Edward stared out the window, transfixed, Jasper tapped his foot impatiently, Emmett ricocheted off the walls, Alice couldn't stop talking, and Rosalie scowled.

Me? I was somewhere, vague, between _all _of those.

"We're here!" Emmett announced, relieved. The black-haired football player soared over the seat, almost landing on top of me before sliding out the door. Rose shot him a 'ladies first, remember?' look. I don't think it mattered to Emmett.

Rosalie slipped out, Alice right behind her. I smiled as I jumped out, giddy. Halloween night…this was going to be so much fun. Jasper jumped down, almost falling, and Edward slipped out silently. Esme shut her door, and we were off to where, in the dim light, we could see the rest of the class gathered.

Jacob was the first one I noticed. He was a werewolf, with fuzzy russet ears poking out from a head band. He wore matching gloves and a furry, attachable tail. _Cute, _I though. I'd always liked dogs.

Angela was dressed as a witch. She wore a long black skirt and a pointy black hat to match, an old broomstick clutched in her hand.

Jessica was a mermaid. I had to resist a small giggle, because her outfit was kind of _out there. _Not to be rude or anything, but the shimmering 'scale' skirt and green bikini top seemed a little too bright.

Mike was Spiderman. He had the full outfit, face mask and everything. His trick or treat bag was decked out in fake spider webs, while a blissful smile bloomed on his face.

Emmett looked like he might bounce out his football jersey. "Everyone's here, let's _go!_" he pleaded Miss Jaime, who I noticed was also dressed up. She was a ladybug, with a cute headband and matching red and black shoes. Her white shoelaces stood out like a sore thumb for a nice effect.

Miss Jaime looked around the circle of children and parents, "We can't leave yet, Emmett, we have to wait for Bella's dad." she explained. I blushed, fiddling with my pirate outfit self consciously. It wasn't my fault my dad was late, but I still felt responsible. He _was _the police chief, he drove slower than anyone I knew.

As if hearing Emmett's disappointed sigh, Alice tapped me on the shoulder and excitedly pointed to where my dad's police cruiser was just pulling in. Yes! I was eager to get started, too.

My father came out, completely decked out in his police officer uniform. He was even wearing his gun! I ran up and gave him a quick hug before bounding back to our semi-circle. Unfortunately, just as I got there, thin air decided to step in. I fell forward with an "Oh!"

Just like when I first met him, Edward caught me right before I hit the ground. Casually righting me like he did this everyday, Edward seemed relieved. "Thanks." I murmured, feeling the blush spread up onto my cheeks. Emmett snickered, and Jasper elbowed him. Not that elbowing him would do anything to muscled Emmett….

"Okay, children, let's go!" Miss Jaime announced, and our group burst into cheers. Emmett whooped, Rosalie shouted, Alice squealed, Edward yelled, Jasper cheered, and I hollered. Jacob's grin widened, while Angela and Jessica started bouncing.

Miss Jaime led the way out of the school grounds and across the street, the large huddle of us kids right on her heels. Our parents trailed behind, glancing left and right nervously, as if waiting for a car to zoom in out of nowhere.

I skipped up to the first house, Alice dancing at my side while Rosalie flipped her hair back behind us. Emmett charged, catching up to us right as we arrived at the large, white door. He pounded on it, yelling, "Trick or treat!"

A sleazy teenage boy answered the door, his coal black eyes regarding us with interest. "Hello!" he said, a spark of surprise lighting as he took in all 10 of us. I giggled. "Wow…hold on, I'll get the candy."

He disappeared for a moment, the last thing we saw of him being the back of his combed down, jet-black hair. He returned with a large bowl of candy eyeballs, bat lollipops and 'blood' chocolate bars. "Here's your candy, kids. Fresh from uncle Aro!" He distributed them evenly, chuckling, and we chorused a neat "Thank you!" before running back down the path.

Emmett had already halfway decimated his blood chocolate bar, while Rosalie was polishing off one of her own. Alice ripped the plastic off of hers, popping it into her mouth whole. Edward followed suite, Jasper preferring to take his time. Jacob took one look at the blood chocolate and tossed it over his shoulder as if it gave him the heebie-jeebies.

I ate mine slowly, as we were journeying through the dim light to the next lit house. Miss Jaime was in the lead, happily whistling a tune I didn't recognize. At Edward's sigh, I turned to him curiously. "I love Halloween." he explained with a smile, fake vampire teeth flashing.

I couldn't help but agree.

***

"Baseball?"

I can't believe they wrangled me into this.

In fact, I only agreed when it was made clear I wouldn't have to play. "You can be umpire, Bella!" Emmett nodded, but Rose looked dissatisfied. She was usually umpire and I felt bad for taking her place on their monthly baseball game. But everyone else had insisted, so it didn't look like we had a choice.

We were playing at school during lunch recess. Apparently everyone had their own personalized gloves, so Alice wrangled me into designing the extra glove during Arts & Crafts before lunch. Even though I wasn't playing, she insisted it was a tradition.

"Alright Alice, what do you want me to do?" I sighed, taking a seat at the Arts & Crafts table, the brown, boring glove resting in front of me. Alice beamed and pushed me the paint and sparkles. "I want you to be creative! You can't be a part of baseball with _us_ without a personalized glove." she insisted, so I grumpily grabbed the nearest paintbrush.

It turned out to be yellow paint, which I lobbed on my glove without a second thought. Alice applauded wildly as I lathered the thick paint on, being careful not to get it on the newspapers covering the table.

"Done." I pronounced fifteen minutes later, holding up a semi-dry, neon yellow baseball glove. Hey, it didn't look half bad! Alice inspected it, then nodded as if satisfied. "You pass, Bella." I rolled my eyes, laughing at my spiky-haired friend.

Just in time, for the bell rang. BRRRRRIINNNGGG!!! Alice flew up and was gone before I had time to even wince at the loud bell. Everyone else trickled out at a more reasonably human pace, me following. I clutched my mostly-dry glove in my hand.

Edward took my hand as soon as the crowd thinned out, leading me over to the old, abandoned backstop in the left corner of the playground. Ignoring the butterflies his hand gave me, I focused instead on a squabbling Rosalie and Emmett.

"Girls vs. Boys." Rosalie insisted as soon as I was in hearing range. Emmett scowled and shook his head, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. "A piece of cake! We should have the teams more even."

Rosalie stepped up so her nose was nearly touching his. I never realized how tall she was! Right now, however, she looked positively murderous. "A piece of cake?" she repeated icily. Emmett stuttered, realizing the trouble he was in. "Y-Yeah."

Rose's blue eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's on." she stated. "Boys vs. girls. Right here. Right now. _No arguing_!" I almost laughed as Emmett stepped back, nodding. "Yep. Whatever you say." He was Jell-O in her hands.

Alice came up with a better solution. Plucking Jasper's hat off his head, she held five sticks. Three of which were shorter than the rest. Brown eyes dancing, she threw the sticks in the hat, while Jasper rubbed a hand through his hair. (I swear I could still see a few sparkles in there)

"Ta-da!" she announced, holding the hat out to Edward. Rolling his eyes, he plucked a stick from the hat. I watched, mildly interested, as the teams I would be umpiring fit together like a puzzle.

As if it was planned, it still ended up being boys vs. girls.

I was sitting a little ways behind the backstop, close enough so I could see everything but far enough away so I wouldn't be smashed by Rosalie's rock-hard batting skills. I could definitely see her as a Major League baseball player one day.

She was wearing tight, dark jeans and a baseball jersey with the number 36 on the back. Jasper was the pitcher, his eyes blank with concentration. Alice was posing as a catcher, since we couldn't afford to use Edward or Emmett out on the field.

"Strike!" I called as Rose swung and missed, the ball landing with a smack in Alice's sparkly purple glove. Growling, she repositioned herself as Jasper smiled. Next pitch…

CRACK! The ball soared up, and I leaped to my feet, scared of missing the play. Rose shot forward to first base, barreling past Emmett, swerving to second base. Edward ran after it like a bullet, while I muttered, "That's got to be home run."

Alice shot me a smile. "Don't be so sure. Edward's fast."

To my amazement, she was right. The ball landed in his silver glove far from where he had been previously standing. In fact, now he was on the blacktop, about to run into a skipping Jessica. I gaped at him for a moment as Rosalie steamed herself over to us. "Out." I choked.

Next up was Alice.

She looked so tiny, holding the large, rainbow-colored bat in her pixie-like hands. She hit a ball right over Emmett's head, and though he jumped for it he missed. Whipping around, he chased it down so Alice only got a double.

Rosalie struck out this time, and smoke could be pouring out of her ears, she was so spitting mad. "I'm going to kill him." she muttered, eyes glued on her pitching brother. "You're up again anyways." I offered, trying to cheer her. She nodded once, curtly, before stepping back up to the plate.

This time, she nailed it right over Jasper's head and in front of Edward. He snatched it up and tagged Alice, throwing it to Emmett faster than I'd thought possible. Rosalie was safe, but it didn't matter since Alice was out. Three outs!

"Switch!" I called, as the boys trooped in looking pleased. Emmett tossed his blue glove from hand to hand, dropping it after a moment for the bat.

Alice was pitching, Jasper catching. The tiny, dancer-like girl pointed her toes and gave it her all…CRACK! Emmett swung the bat around fast enough to smack into the ball so it soared straight to Rose. A triumphant gleam in her blue eyes, Rosalie jumped up and stole the ball from it's perch in mid-air. "Out!"

Emmett huffed, muttering something I couldn't catch, then stomped back behind the backstop. I smiled.

As Edward stepped up to the plate, Alice got a peculiar look on her face. She frowned, her eyes glazed as if she were daydreaming. "Alice?" I asked. Edward's head snapped up from where he had been staring at home plate. He and Alice exchanged a worried glance, then…

"Bella." Edward said my name and I looked up at him reflexively with wide chocolate eyes. But he was still facing Alice. Puzzled, I looked at Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie to see if they knew what was wrong. They looked as puzzled as me, however. Worry also shadowed Jasper's face, though boredom was clearer on Em and Rose's faces.

The baseball slipped from Alice's fingertips at the same time Edward dropped the bat. Before it could clatter to the ground, Jasper caught it. Whipping around, Edward stalked over to me and instructed, "Bella, take my hat and pull it so you can't see your face."

I did as I was told, pulling the tight silver hat over my eyes. "What's going on?" I asked as I heard Alice murmuring.

Edward sighed. "The third graders are coming again."

This made no sense to me. Why would there be such a ruckus over some pesky third graders? Sure, they were three years older than us, but they couldn't be _that _mean…right? Peeking out curiously from under Edward's hat, I noticed and surveyed the three fit 3rd graders approaching.

The one in the middle had dark, brown skin. His eyes were cold and black, and his long brown hair was messy and unkempt. A ragged, worn baseball was held loosely in his hand.

The girl standing next to him looked at us with a tiny, evil smirk. Her flaming red hair fanned out behind her in waves, freckles dotting her cheeks like polka dots. Her blue eyes were as freezing as ice, and I resisted the urge to take a step back.

The most fearsome, however, was standing innocently next to the brown-skinned boy…a scrawny, pointy-nosed, sleazy third grader with greasy, blonde hair pulled back into a small pony. He was wearing a thick leather jacket that looked two sizes too small, and his hazel eyes watched us like a cat might watch a mouse.

Great.

"Mind if we play?" The brown skinned boy spoke, his tone implying that it wasn't a question, it was a statement. They were playing. How did they even get onto the kindergarten playground? It was blocked off from the big kid's area…maybe they hopped the fence. I gulped quietly, trembling at their scary sight.

"Sure. We could use a few extra players, especially third graders like you." Rose's voice was smooth, giving nothing away. The brown-skinned boy nodded once, curtly. "My name's Laurent. This is Victoria," his eyes flickered the flaming haired girl, "and James." the greasy blonde.

Who were these people?

"We were just leaving, actually. You can take our place." Edward spoke suddenly and I almost jumped. His voice was so cold, I hardly recognized it. Just as he was grabbing my arm and we were slipping away, James spoke.

"Who are you?"

I froze, as did Edward. Slowly, I turned the face the intimidating third grader, my heart stuttering from fear. "Bella." I replied reluctantly. James slouched farther, a smirk like Victoria's spreading across his face as he narrowed his eyes. "So _you're_ the new kid. How're you liking Forks?"

I glanced at Edward's face to see him murderously glaring at James, his emerald eyes fiery in his fury. "Forks is great." I replied lamely, a beat too late. He nodded, the smirk growing more pronounced. "So…since you haven't been around these parts for long…you don't know about us third graders, do you?"

I shook my head mutely, glancing to the other side of me where Alice, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were all frozen. _Help me, _I pleaded internally, sensing this was not going in a good direction. Not a good direction at all. "No."

Victoria and James took a step farther toward me, while I retreated a step instinctively. "We'll just have to teach you." He cracked his knuckles, and that's when Edward sprang to life.

Grabbing my arm, he took off with me in tow. I stumbled behind him, dazed by his sudden bound. Glancing back, (and praying not to trip) I saw everyone else following us, including the third-graders. Uh-oh.

Edward ducked into the tunnel, a large tube in which we could sit on top of or inside. He dragged me with him, panting, green eyes wild. Before I had time to brush off my legs and look back, Alice barreled inside.

She started talking a mile a minute, while Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper slipped in behind her. "Edward, what are we going to do? We can't let them beat her up!" I swallowed my spark of fear at that, taking deep breaths in the crowded, two-entranced tunnel.

Edward replied immediately, apparently already having a plan. "I'll take her to the pink house, when they're not looking." Pink house? What pink house?

Alice shook her head almost before he had finished speaking, brown eyes calm. "James saw the way you tugged her away. He knows you wouldn't leave her. Jasper and I will take her, you help Emmett and Rosalie distract them."

I blinked, my hands trembling slightly. Edward's green eyes were undecided, but he nodded. Before he could say anything, Laurent stuck his head right behind Edward in the back entrance to the tunnel. "Hello."

I nearly screamed. In fact, I would have if Alice hadn't clapped a small hand over my mouth. Laurent continued as Edward whipped around, Emmett bristled and Jasper growled. "I've come to warn you. I'm tired of beating up little kindergarteners…I'm going my own way. James, however, is ruthless. He'll stop at nothing."

I drew my knees up closer to my chest, trying not to hyperventilate as Edward nodded his thanks and passed me to mutter at Emmett and Rosalie. Alice grabbed my hand, whispering, "As soon as Edward leaves, we're going to bolt out the opposite end, okay?" I nodded, running my fingers through a lock of my hair.

Too soon, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie bundled together as if they were shielding something and stepped out. Alice grabbed my hand and leaped out the opposite end of the tunnel, Jasper on our heels. She shot across the playground with me right behind her, confused as ever.

Alice suddenly dove forward, into a large plastic house that was painted a neon pink. Pink house…oh. I stepped inside, and Jasper slammed the door behind him, looking as if he wished it would lock. Alice began shoving things in front of the door, pushing the plastic stove behind me. Jasper grabbed a blue chair and stuck it half through the window so no one could see through it.

"What's James trying to do?" I asked quietly, afraid to interrupt their frenzied action. Alice replied without skipping a beat, closing the fake shutters on a window. "He wants to beat you up because you're new."

I sat down in a corner on the cold cement, my eyes stretched wide. "Oh."

Alice had run out of things to shove against the door, so now she paced. Her brown eyes were dazed and unfocused, and Jasper stared at her, worried. "What is it?" he asked after a moment. Alice shook her head, frustrated, her black spikes not messing up. "It's working so far…" she murmured.

"They can do it." Jasper replied, full of confidence as he brushed a blonde curl out of his face. I wished I had the same confidence…what if they get hurt? It'd be my fault! This is horrible.

Alice suddenly froze. "Oh, no."

Jasper was at her side immediately, while my eyes flickered up to her. The blonde rubbed her arms soothingly, but his green eyes told me he was just as panicked as I was. "What's happening, Alice?"

Here it was again. Alice…she knew things. There was something there, a secret I'd noticed before but never fully saw. "James figured out Bella's not with them. He's coming here!"

Alice's eyes rounded with worry as I melted farther into the wall. Oh, no. This was way bad! Someone was going to get really hurt. "Should we run?" Jasper asked. Good question. I looked up at Alice with huge eyes…what were we going to do?

"Edward will come, he'll take back into the classroom, Bella." Alice's eyes brightened as if she could see it unfolding perfectly in front of her. "James will be sidetracked, I'm sure of it!" Jasper let out a breath I don't think even he knew he was holding, and the relief in the room increased.

"Let's go." Alice shoved the stove aside, peeking out the door before glancing back. Beckoning to me, I scrambled up and trotted over. She whispered, "Okay, Bella. I'm going to run out. Edward's standing on the other side of the playground, but with his speed he'll get to you just fine if you run out behind me." I nodded. "Sounds good."

Without further ado, she bolted. I followed, pumping my legs to keep up the streaking mass of black hair and pale skin. I could see Edward, standing beside James. Catching sight of us, he shot over as James whipped around.

My eyes trained on Edward, I didn't see the invisible rock that tripped me.

**

All I knew was spinning. Spinning, dizzy, and revolving. It felt like I was turning on a different axis than the earth…why? Blinking open my eyes, I looked up to see…white. _Edward? _was my first thought. Then, _What happened? _

My eyes drifted over the white…it was everywhere. Just flat, blurry white. I tried sitting up, but nothing would respond. Did IO even have a body? I glanced down to see me wrapped in the fuzzy white. Wait…

Was I dead?

Then, my eyes focused so I saw that I was actually in a very white hospital bed. Oh, great. Not the hospital again…what the heck happened? The last thing I remember was tripping.

Blinking furiously, my eyes settled on Edward, who's head was lolling to the side as he slept on the visiting chair, oblivious to everything around him. Edward…he looked like he'd been there forever, sleeping peacefully next to my beeping hospital bed. Just as I was about to burst from curiosity, my mom stuck her head in the doorway.

Seeing I was awake, Renee flew into the room to perch next to my bed. "Bella! You're awake!" she chirped, crazy blonde-red hair flying everywhere. "Mom?" I croaked out, my vocal cords feeling out of use. I cleared my throat, trying again. "Mom, what happened?"

She swept her hand over my head, and the light throbbing centered there increased. "You tripped running from a third-grader, who punched you after you fell down." she paused to glance at Edward's sleeping form. "Edward here actually ended up fighting him off…imagine that, a kindergartener beating up a third grader for you!"

I knew her next words: "How cute!"

I moaned. "It wasn't cute, mom." Renee shook her head. "Anyway, you'll be out of here by tomorrow morning." she reassured me, smiling. I smiled faintly, sighing. I was so tired…how much medication did they stuff in me this time? Renee noticed my drooping eyelids, so she kissed me on the forehead and walked out.

Edward was basically an insomniac. And since my mother was awake, he must be, too. "Edward?" I called. His green eyes flickered open without a pause as he stretched and ran over. "Bella!"

His smile was dazzling, and I had to smile back at the bronze-haired boy in front of me. "Are you okay?" he asked me immediately, his eyes raking over the thin amount of medical equipment strapped to me. "Yes, I'm fine. What about you?" I asked, concerned. "Did you really beat up James?"

He nodded shyly. "Not a scratch on me."

I tried valiantly not to stare in awe, but I did anyway. Hurriedly, he explained, catching sight of my amazed look. "It wasn't all me. Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper helped. Though Rose mostly attacked him with words." I smiled, imagining the huge third-grader being taken down by four of my friends.

As if lost in dark thoughts, a shadow seemed to pass over Edward's face. His green eyes smoldered, sinister. "What is it?" I asked. He took his time in replying, glancing up at me as if pained. "Bella, this is my fault. I'm sorry."

I stared at him, confused. "What do you mean_, your _fault? This is on me!" Edward shook his head, bronze hair glimmering under the unnaturally fluorescent hospital lights. "If you hadn't fit in with us so well, if you hadn't been playing baseball with us…James never would've noticed you."

Edward buried his face in his hands, and I shook my head. "No, no, Edward. Stop, please, none of this is your fault! I'm grateful! If you hadn't been there, James would've beaten me to a pulp!" I didn't exactly know what 'pulp' meant, but I'd heard my dad use the term 'beaten to a pulp' before, so I figured I was safe.

"I have to leave. That's it!" Edward's head snapped up. "No more third-graders will hunt you down, you won't be in danger of getting hit by a baseball…" he trailed off as I stared at him, my hands going ice cold and breaking out in cold sweat.

My mouth opened to protest, but no sound came out. If they had a heart rate monitor on me right now, I knew it'd be beeping wildly. "No." I choked out. "You can't _leave. _You won't…right?" His suddenly dark eyes met mine with no answer.

I sat up suddenly, ignoring the faint dizziness and leaning over to throw my arms around him in a giant hug. "You _can't _leave. I'd miss you too much." A tear dropped from my eye as Edward hugged me back, replying quietly, as if to himself. "Where else am I going to go?"

_Nowhere. You belong here, with me._

**

I woke up that morning without a clue. Stumbling out of bed, I yawned as I rubbed my eyes and made my way carefully down the stairs. "Hey dad." I greeted Charlie, who was eating cereal at the table. He waved, swallowing and saying: "It's your big day, Bells!"

Huh? I took my seat at the table, grabbing the cereal box. "What do you mean?"

Charlie looked at me with chocolate brown eyes, as if suspicious. "Your dance…the kindergarten dance?" he said as if trying to refresh my memory…

"Oh, no." That was today? Charlie smiled cheekily, giving me the worst new of the day. "And I'm under strict orders by Alice to have you wear what she brought over yesterday." Oh, man. I knew I missed something in that afternoon nap! "Dad, I am not dancing. I'll stay outside during recess….dancing is not my thing."

He shrugged, and I could tell he wasn't taking no for an answer. Forgetting breakfast, I stomped back up to my room to find what Alice had brought. Throwing open my closet door, I froze. It was right there. Staring at me…

A dress.

A sunny yellow, lace-free, spaghetti strap dress. Sparkly white ballet flats rest flawlessly under it, while two white flower earrings hung beside the dress. "I am not wearing that!" Charlie's answer came back smug and confident: "Oh, yes you are."

Oh, Alice. Why must you force me into this torture? Sighing, I pulled on the dress and ran a brush through my hair, unhappily skimming back down the stairs. Charlie was standing there, looking pleased I put on the dress without too much of a fight. "C'mon Bells, it won't be that bad."

I muttered something he couldn't hear and stalked out to the police cruiser. All I wanted was to get to school as fast as possible so I could leave it again.

Charlie drove fast, to my relief. We were there within minutes. I slid out and slammed the door, blowing my father a kiss before twirling around and stomping into the school. I caught sight of the group quickly, but I only had eyes for Alice…

"Alice, you annoying little pixie!" I growled at her, pulling self-consciously at my dress. She glanced up at me, innocence spread like butter all over her pale face. "What did I do?" Alice! Of course you know what you did! I wanted to stomp my foot, like on TV, but I help back the urge. "Alice, you told Charlie I had to wear this _dress_."

As if just remembering, she leaped back and looked me up and down, clapping her hands together. "Oh, Bella! You look great!" She furiously tapped Rose, who was talking to Emmett, on the shoulder. "Rose, see look! I told you so, Rosalie Hale! Yellow is so Bella's color."

I blushed as our whole group turned to stare, distracted by Alice's excited burst. I fiddled with my backpack strap as Rose smiled, unabashed at Alice's squeals. I didn't have the courage to look at Edward.

Before my eyes could slip to him of their own accord, the bell had to ring. I kept my eyes down as I filtered in with the rest of them, though I could feel Miss Jaime's eyes on me. "That's a very pretty dress, Bella." she murmured to me, and I blushed harder.

When we entered the classroom, I realized the tables were pushed up against the walls, cups and various fruits situated on the small tables. Silver streamers hung around us like rain, shimmering and looking very pretty. Miss Jaime, I noticed, was wearing a skirt! A large boom-box rest on her desk, with a large pile of CD's next to it. The room looked beautiful.

The room was nothing compared to Edward, however, once my eyes were drawn to him for the first time.

He looked a bit uncomfortable in a dashing, jet-black tuxedo. His bronze hair actually looked combed, and he was wearing squeaky-clean black shoes. I blushed harder as he glanced over at me, catching my stare. _Oops. _I quickly turned my attention to everyone else to see what they were wearing…

Jessica had gone a little overboard, just like Halloween. She had a long, magenta shirt and a white blouse. Tons of lip gloss was smeared on her, and she smiled at Mike. Speaking of Mike, he was wearing a light grey tuxedo and had his hair spiked up.

Angela was wearing a cute black dress, with silver sparkles glittering all over. Her hair had been neatly curled, and her glasses were left on her desk as she shyly leaned against it. Jacob was wearing dark, dark jeans and a black, formal t-shirt. He was grinning, hands stuffed into his pockets as he surveyed the room like I was.

Rosalie looking astounding. (I think Emmett agreed with me as he shyly examined the ceiling, looking anywhere but at her) She was wearing a long, bright red dress with a v-neck. Her hair was pinned up extravagantly and she giggled with Alice about something I couldn't hear. Emmett himself was wearing a dark blue tuxedo with a neon pink bowtie. He looked like a little teddy-bear! …Well, a teddy-bear with uncombed black curls.

Alice was wearing a purple dress with sleeves, her spiky hair adorned in a few bobby-pins. Her brown eyes sparkled like diamonds as she surveyed the work with…satisfaction? Oh, no…she must have gotten to Miss Jaime, too. _Alice_ decorated this room! Jasper was wearing a dark, dark green tuxedo similar to Emmett's, but without the bowtie. His hair wasn't combed, but that didn't surprise me with his blonde mop of curls.

Running out of people to analyze, my chocolate eyes drifted to Edward. Again, his emerald green eyes stole my breath and I was forced to look down when I blushed red. Miss Jaime beamed at all of us, and turned on the boom-box with a flourish. "Let the party begin." she announced.

Just then, I remembered my camera. Scampering back to my yellow backpack, I snatched it up and giggled. Oh, this would be good, I could just tell…

I _snapped_ a picture as Emmett waggled his eyebrows at Rosalie, grinning: "You want to dance?" She fiddled with her pinned-up, curled hair shyly. "Sure." she agreed, smiling dazzlingly. Emmett immediately grabbed her hand and twirled her out into the middle of the classroom.

_Snap. _Emmett dipping Rosalie in time with the music as Miss Jaime looked on with a smile. Mike inched over to me, his tan face red. "Hey, Bella…" I glanced over at him, and he flushed harder, blue eyes darting around nervously. "Do you want to dance with me?"

Oh, Mike…I spared one glance at my Greek god, Edward. _Wait, did I seriously just call him that? _Edward was glaring at Mike from across the room, as if hearing our conversation. His green eyes…I'd never seen them so cold. I turned back to Mike, who was waiting, as if hanging on my every word.

Opening my mouth, I mumbled, a quick, "Wouldn't that hurt Jessica's feelings?" He stared at me dumbly for a moment before turning around to an animated Jess, who was chatting with Angela. Catching his eye, she winked at Mike. He turned back to me, a reluctant look in his sky eyes. "Yeah." he muttered, trotting away.

Edward's face had smoothed out, and I breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. I didn't particularly like Mike…but apparently it wasn't the same for him. I lifted my camera once more as he half-heartedly stumbled up to Jessica and held out his hand. She nodded vigorously, bubbly jumping up and dragging him onto the dance floor.

Angela laughed as Mike stumbled, nearly falling. Jessica didn't even seem to notice, starting to waltz with the unprepared Mike trying to straighten his back and puff his chest out with as much dignity as he had left. _Snap._

Then, Jasper finally got the courage to ask Alice to dance as a nice tune started playing, a song I didn't recognize but Alice and Jasper obviously knew by the way their eyes lit up. Sliding off the countertop he was perched on, Jasper strode up to Alice nervously, fiddling with his pockets.

Alice smiled at him with her perfectly white teeth, looking as if she'd burst. "Alice, do you want to dance?" he asked quietly, cheeks turning pink.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," she said with mock disappointment as Jasper caught on and dipped his head, like a Southern boy. "I'm sorry, ma'am." _Snap. _He took her hand and they twirled on to the 'dance floor' as if they'd choreographed it and practiced to perfection.

I took a couple more pictures as Jacob and Angela talked, preferring not to dance, and Emmett _kissing _Rose on the cheek! Cutest picture I've ever taken, by far. I might just have to frame it…

After about fifteen minutes, I was distracted from my snapping a picture of a laughing Miss Jaime dancing with a much shorter, grinning Jacob while Angela giggled at them. Edward tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned around, surprised. "Oh, hi." I breathed, smiling.

Edward waved, a crooked smile flitting across his face. "Hello." He sat beside me on the tabletop, his feet nearly reaching the floor while mine didn't stand a chance. "Do you want to dance?"

I was taken aback as my stomach exploded into wriggling butterflies and my heart sped up, excited. Then I might've broken out in cold sweat, realizing just what he'd said…"Dancing? Me?" I asked, doubt coloring my tone faultlessly.

"I won't let you fall." Edward promised, and I couldn't deny him after that. "Alright." I tried to resist a small smile; it couldn't be that bad…at least I'd be with Edward! He took my hand, clearing his throat as if he were a bit nervous as well. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked as he led me out to the middle of the room, not trusting my feet the moment they hit the ground.

He nodded, green eyes determined. "Positive. I took dance lessons, you know." he whispered to me, then snickered. "Emmett and Jasper did, too, but don't tell anyone. It would '_ruin their image_.'" I giggled as I imagined the three of them in dance class together.

He twirled me around expertly, never missing a beat as I finally just gave in and rested my small feet on his larger ones. He smiled at this triumphantly as he increased the tempo of our dance. Soon we were whirling at impossible speeds, and I couldn't help but laugh at the freedom of it. Soon, Edward spun us around the room and toward the door.

With a last, elegant spin, we were outside in the cool air and Edward was leading me to the swings. He sat down with a smile and beckoned me to join him. Blushing, I did so on the swing beside him. Before I could move or talk, he stood right back up, a wild gleam in his eye I'd never seen before, and his pale cheeks turning red.

Taking the one step needed to close the distance between us, I watched in curiosity as he leaned closer to me, the burning green orbs of his eyes burning into mine. Then, he kissed me on the cheek and pulled away, immediately collapsing into his own swing.

Oh. My Gosh.

Edward Cullen just kissed me on the cheek! My cheeks were ablaze, and my fingertips stroked the spot in fascination…am I dreaming? Apparently not, because the blood was rushing in my ears and I felt a little dizzy.

Before I could say anything, (not that I'd have anything to say in the first place) Miss Jaime stuck her head out the door. "Hey kids, come on inside!" she gestured to us wildly. Edward and I slid off the swing at the same moment, and we locked gazes.

A crooked smile on his pale face, Edward took my hand as we walked together. _Wow._

Mental note: I think I love Edward Cullen.

--

End.  
Look out for the one-shot companion.


End file.
